


The Silence

by MangoKat



Series: Team Red Family [1]
Category: Carmen Sandiego (Cartoon 2019)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2020-11-23 07:14:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 74,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20888204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MangoKat/pseuds/MangoKat
Summary: PART 1 COMPLETE! Carmen Sandiego is on a typical mission to thwart V.I.L.E, but things take an unexpected turn. She witnesses an attempted assassination, and then the capture of a member of V.I.L.E. Will she choose to get involved, or will she leave her former teammate to his fate? Has Carmen truly moved past V.I.L.E as much as she believes, or will she find herself being drawn back in?





	1. The Mission

**Author's Note:**

> Authornote:
> 
> Hello everyone! Just binged Carmen Sandiego and decided to try my hand at writing a fic. I'm not sure if I will be continuing this, but I do have plans for future chapters. Please let me know what you think in the comments.
> 
> Happy reading!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carmen Sandiego is on a typical mission to thwart V.I.L.E, but things take an unexpected turn. She witnesses an attempted assassination, and then the capture of a member of V.I.L.E. Will she choose to get involved, or will she leave her former teammate to his fate? Has Carmen truly moved past V.I.L.E as much as she believes, or will she find herself being drawn back in?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authornote:
> 
> Hello everyone! Just binged Carmen Sandiego and decided to try my hand at writing a fic. I'm not sure if I will be continuing this, but I do have plans for future chapters. Please let me know what you think in the comments.
> 
> Happy reading!

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**The Silence**

**Chapter One**

**The Mission**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Carmen stared down at the city far below, feeling a little bit nostalgic as she took in the sights of the familiar streets. Her mission had brought her to Poitiers, France once again, and it felt like this city was where everything truly began. This was the city where she had first met Chase Devineaux, and when she had caught the attention of A.C.M.E.

“Red? Hello? Are you still there?” came the voice of a young boy.

Shivering as the cool Spring air blew through her long red hair, she pulled up her collar, and turned her attention to the communicator in her ear.

"Sorry, Player, got a little distracted, what was that you were saying?"

"Your mind in the clouds, Red?" Player responded with humour in his tone.

Carmen stared out the open hatch of the plane, observing how she was literally in the clouds at the moment, and she smirked . "You could say that."

"Get ready to jump." Player advised. "You need to land on the roof to avoid being seen. We need to time this just right so the fog covers your descent."

Carmen did one last check of her equipment, deemed herself ready and stepped closer to the hatch.

“You ready?” Player asked.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she confirmed.

"Okay, Red, at the count of three, jump,” Player instructed, “Three, two, one  **go** !" 

Without hesitation, Carmen threw herself from the plane, relishing the feeling of exhilaration as she free-fell towards the city. With practiced ease, she pulled her chute, and then prepared herself to aim for the roof of the building.

"Okay, you're on track." Player stated. "The wind is low and you shouldn't run into any problems. The building is coming up, look for the large L-shaped roof with three satellite dishes."

"I see it." Carmen confirmed. "Going in for the landing."

Bracing herself, she hit the roof at a run, and cut away the parachute, without slowing her pace.

"I'm watching the security cams and no one has seen you." Player informed her, the sounds of him typing quickly coming through the com. "I've disabled security for the next 5 minutes in the air-ducts on the thirtieth floor. Your entry point is just to your left."

"Ok, on it." Carmen responded. "Zack, Ivy, are you in position?"

"Yep." Came Zack's voice. "We can be to the front doors in about ten seconds when you need us."

"We got your back, Carm." Ivy assured her. "Good luck."

Carmen didn't answer, already busy opening the air-duct. She slipped inside soundlessly, and then began crawling as fast as she could, knowing she didn't have much time.

"Michael Finnegan's office is just to your right." Player instructed.

Carmen easily found the office, and after making sure the coast was clear, she carefully opened the vent and slipped into the room. The corner office owned by Michael Finnegan was enormous, and clearly furnished to impress. She glanced around and saw the room was full of expensive and extravagant items, clearly an attempt to showcase how rich he was. She eyed a few of the more expensive antiques, but resisted and stepped past everything to make her way across the room.

“He should have a safe hidden somewhere in the room,” Player informed her, “According to my research, he renovated his office about fifteen months ago, and he probably installed the safe then. There seems to be a lot of wiring and security on the North wall, and so I would probably look there.”

Carmen glanced towards the North wall, and her eyes fell a large family portrait hanging behind the desk. She stared at Michael Finnegan and his family, and observed the man’s red hair and cold looking eyes. His wife stood beside him smiling, her blond hair and blue eyes quite striking. Their six children stood in front of them, five with fiery red hair and blue eyes like their father, and the sixth with dark hair and dark eyes. Carmen shook her head at the sight of the family. By all accounts they looked like a completely normal family. It was hard to believe the Finnegans were responsible for causing so much pain and suffering in the world.

Carmen was going to stop them in any way she could, and her first order of business was finding that safe. Reaching out, she removed the painting from the wall, and then rolled her eyes.

“It was in the most cliche place possible,” she said in amusement.

“He’s rich, but apparently not very creative,” Player replied with a snort, “So what kind of safe are we looking at?

Carmen inspected the safe thoughtfully for a few seconds, and then she frowned.

"Huh, interesting." Carmen whispered.

"Find the safe?" Player asked.

"It seems to have a fingerprint scanner, and something else I don't recognize." She frowned at the strange device, knowing better than to touch it.

"Retinal scanner?"

"No, I don't think so. This is something else..."

"Can you plug me in?" Player asked. "I can take a look at the security."

Carmen looked over the safe’s control pad, and felt pretty confident she could get Player into it. Taking out her handheld communicator, she removed the plate covering the safe touchpad, and found a usb port.

"Oh, well this makes things easier," she whispered, plugging the com in. "Ok, Player, you should now be in."

"Already on it," Player responded, furiously typing on his keyboard. He was silent for a minute or so, and then the typing paused. "...oh no."

"What?" Carmen demanded. "What is it?"

"It's a DNA scanner!" Player exclaimed. "The safe is set to self-detonate if anyone tries to break into it. We only get  **one** try at this..."

"DNA?" Carmen repeated with a frown. "We don't have his DNA."

"Are there any empty cups or pop bottles in the office?" Player asked.

Carmen glanced around but the office was immaculately clean. "I don't think Mr. Finnegan is the type of person to leave garbage lying around."

"This isn't good," Player admitted, “We’ll have to leave and come back once we get a DNA sample.”

"I can try disabling the bombs," Carmen suggested, already getting out her toolkit.

"No!" Player cut in sharply. "We can't risk it. The blast from that safe could kill you if you trip the explosives"

"If we don't get the hard drive out of this safe, a lot of people are going to get hurt." Carmen reminded him. "We don’t have time to get a sample. I don't have a choice, I have to try right now."

"Wait." Player begged. "Just give me a minute, I have an idea."

"How long do I have before the cameras go active again?" Carmen asked, glancing towards the door.

"I have the camera feed on a loop from yesterday. The guards will be making their rounds in about ten minutes."

"Okay, but if you can't find a solution, I'll have to try to force my way in."

She could hear Player muttering to himself as he worked, and Carmen kept a wary eye on the door.

"If Michael Finnegan ever did one of those online ancestry DNA tests, I may be able to get his DNA information from it. There was a scandal a few years ago about his wife cheating on him, and so I bet he got a paternity test done on all of his children," Player stated thoughtfully. "I'm searching all DNA sites now, looking for him."

"Do you really think a billionaire would bother with a €49 DNA test? If he wanted that information, he probably has his own team of doctors that could perform it."

"Yes, he does have his own doctors," Player acknowledged. "But he is also incredibly cheap. This is the type of guy who never tips his waitresses, and who once shoplifted a box of cookies from a little girl selling them. I'm banking on the fact he didn't want to pay someone more than he had to."

Player went silent again as he worked, and just a few moments later, he let out a triumphant crow. "GOT HIM!"

Carmen raised a brow, "You mean he really did one?!"

"Sure did, and he used a coupon too. Only had to pay €39 plus tax. He got all of his kids done too." Player said excitedly. "Let’s see here...Oops, looks like in the case of his oldest son, Michael Finnegan Jr. age twenty-two, he is  **not** the father! That's gotta burn. His 'son' is his second in command in the Finnegan Mafia, and he’s not even a real Finnegan!"

There was the sound of a bit more typing.

“Oh, wow, he wrote Jr. out of his will! That’s harsh!”

"As interesting as all this is, can you hack the DNA reader to open the safe?"

"Already working on it, Red," Player assured her. "Just give me a few seconds."

Carmen suddenly glanced up in alarm, the sound of heavy footsteps coming from the outside hallway.

"Someone's coming!" She whispered to Player, quickly putting the painting back over the safe. “Going radio silent.”

“Be careful, Red.” Player whispered into her com. 

The office door began to open, and Carmen dove under the nearby desk just as the lights were flipped on. Knowing this was not the most ideal hiding spot, she huddled as small as she could, having a feeling she was going to have to fight her way out of this room. If she had to fight, she would fail to get the hard drive.

"You should have been here an  **hour** ago," the voice of Michael Finnegan Sr. scolded. "If  **this** is how V.I.L.E conducts their business, then I may have to reconsider this partnership."

Carmen hadn't heard two people enter the room, but when she peered under the desk, she could see two pairs of legs.

The other person said nothing, and Mr. Finnegan muttered angrily to himself as he crossed the room. Carmen remained curled under the desk, and watched as Michael Finnegan removed the painting from the wall. Just as he was opening the safe, there was the sound of a loud bang, the sound of shattering glass, and then an exclamation of surprise from Mr. Finnegan. Carmen saw him scramble away from the window, and to her horror, she realized someone had just shot at him.

There was a deafening series of bangs that filled the room, and a rain of bullets exploded all around them. Carmen curled up even tighter as she heard bullets strike the desk, and Michael Finnegan swore loudly, and ran for the back of the room where there were no windows. When the hail of bullets finally ceased, there was pause, and then Michael Finnegan once again let out a loud curse.

"Red?" Player whispered. "Red, are you alright?! I heard gunshots!"

There was suddenly the sound of a fist hitting flesh, and Carmen saw a thin figure hit the floor hard. As Michael stepped towards the fallen man, she saw the smaller man scramble to get away from him. He was quickly grabbed by the much bigger Mr. Finnegan.

"You tried to have me assassinated!" Michael Finnegan snarled. "I  **knew** V.I.L.E couldn’t be trusted!"

Carmen winced as she heard another hit, wondering who the unfortunate operative was.

“I’ve heard the rumours about Russia, and the disgusting things you people are doing up there, and now I know V.I.L.E betrays  **everyone** they partner with. I  **never** should have trusted V.I.L.E.”

There was a third hit, and Carmen saw several droplets of blood land on the floor beside her.

Michael Finnegan took a deep and angry breath before continuing. "You messed with the wrong man.” he said, his voice going dangerously calm. “I am going to bring down V.I.L.E, and I will make sure each and every operative is gutted! You’ve made the worst mistake of your life, kid."

Michael Finnegan must have then hit some sort of alert button, because suddenly an alarm was sounding, and the room swarmed full of security.

“Is anything the matte-” the guard cut off at the sight of the destroyed room.

“What do you think, genius?” Michael Finnegan snapped.

“We need to get you to a safe room!” a guard exclaimed in alarm.

"I’m fine,” Michael replied impatiently, “V.I.L.E has betrayed us, and they tried to assassinate me.”

The guards immediately seized the operative. “Should we shoot him, Sir?” one of the guards asked.

“No, not yet. I want to extract every bit of information this idiot knows. Drag him downstairs and give him to my son for questioning." Mr. Finnegan ordered. “Tell Mj not to kill him until I say otherwise.”

“Where should we secure him?” one of the guards asked.

"I don’t care, just get him out of my sight. Make sure you search him, and take everything he has! If he escapes, I will hold you  **personally** responsible."

“Er… yes, Sir!” the guard replied nervously. “He won’t escape, I promise!”

Carmen watched as the unknown V.I.L.E operative was dragged out of the room, and knew it would be suicide to give herself away now. Staying as still as possible, she watched as Mr. Finnegan put the painting back in place over the safe, and then he approached the desk. He grabbed something out of his desk drawer, and then stormed from the room, cursing angrily as he went.

"Well,  **that** was interesting," Player commented. "Why would V.I.L.E try to kill Michael Finnegan when they were trying to secure a partnership?"

"V.I.L.E must have just wanted the hard drive, and didn't plan on failing in the assassination."

"Who did they capture just now? Did you know him?"

Carmen frowned. "I couldn't tell who it was; all I could see were their legs."

"I have a bit of good news though," Player told her. "Michael Finnegan forgot to lock the safe. You can just open it and take the hard drive."

"Really?" Carmen asked in surprise.

"It's too dangerous for our original plan of escape, and so you'll need to grapple from the broken window. Zack and Ivy can catch you as you come down."

Although he couldn't see her, she nodded, and crawled out from her hiding spot. Removing the painting, she pulled open the safe, and found the hard drive. Ignoring the enormous wads of cash and jewels, she closed the safe, and put the painting back in place. Hopefully it would take them a while to realize it was gone. 

Approaching the window cautiously, she peered out, but could see no sign of the gunman. Knowing she had no choice but to chance it, she leapt out of the window, grappling the nearby stone gargoyle as she did so. Luckily no one opened fire on her, and she lowered herself down into the waiting red convertible.

Zack and Ivy were all smiles when they saw her, and Zack flashed her a thumbs up. As Zack stepped on the gas to speed away, Carmen glanced behind her with a frown.

Who was it that Michael Finnegan captured, and what was he planning on doing to the man? Was he going to kill him? Thoughts of who it could be made her uneasy, and Carmen hoped it wasn’t anyone she knew. Crackle, El Topo and Le Chèvre flashed in her mind, and she grimaced at the thought of any of them getting hurt. As much as she hated V.I.L.E, she didn’t want any of her former friends to be hurt. As they turned a corner and lost sight of the building, Carmen had an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

TBC?


	2. The Rescue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thanks for all the kudos and comments! I'm glad everyone seemed to enjoy the chapter, and so here's chapter 2! I'm always up for suggestions or comments, and so just let me know your thoughts! ^_^
> 
> Happy reading!

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**The Silence**

**Chapter 2**

**The Rescue**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Ivy, stop cheating!" Zack complained, frowning down at the game angrily.

"I'm not cheating, you just suck at this," Ivy retorted, grinning at him cheekily, as she scored another goal.

“There’s no way!” Zack insisted, “You had to have done **something**! I’m awesome at air hockey!”

“In your dreams, bro!” Ivy teased, “Don’t blame the game for you sucking!”

Zack knelt down and looked underneath the air-hockey table for signs of tampering. "You **must** have done something to my side," he grumbled, "What'd you do?"

Ivy laughed and simply shook her head. "Nothing," she responded, "I'm just better than you."

Zack looked all over the table but couldn't find any signs of tampering. Not wanting to admit his sister was better than him at something, he simply set down his striker and feigned a yawn. "Boy, am I ever getting tired. That last mission really took it out of me. I think I'll go take a nap..." he said, not so subtly fleeing the room.

Once he was gone, Carmen looked up from her book. "So, what did you do?" she asked in amusement.

"What makes you think I did something?" Ivy asked with a grin.

Carmen simply raised a single eyebrow and Ivy laughed, her expression completely mischievous. 

"I put a piece of tape over the sensor on his striker." Ivy responded, unable to hold in her laugh. "I'm betting he doesn't find it for weeks!"

"Immature children," Shadowsan muttered, not looking up from his own book, “Wasting your time with such foolishness.”

"You wanna play?" Ivy asked, holding out a striker to him. “I’ll show you what to do, and I promise not to cheat.”

"No, thank you," he answered, turning a page in his book, "It is a foolish thing to have in our secret base."

Ivy rolled her eyes, and plunked herself down on the couch beside them.

"There's nothing wrong with relaxing and having fun every once in a while," Carmen commented, setting her book aside. "We deal with so many terrible things during our missions, that it's nice to be able to just spend a little quality time with each other."

Shadowsan made a small noise in the back of his throat, and neither agreed nor disagreed.

"I haven't heard from Player today," Carmen stated, thoughtfully, "I wonder if I should check in with him?"

"Isn't he like home-schooled or something?" Ivy questioned. "He might just be busy. It's only two-o'clock."

"He still normally checks in with me a few times a day." Carmen answered, slowly getting to her feet with a stretch. "He was working on decoding the hard drive, but was having a difficult time with it."

"Well, the kid is only like, what 10, 12?"

Carmen wasn't entirely certain on Player's age, but had a feeling he was a bit older than he looked.

"He's a genius," Carmen defended. "He's already in his final year of school, and then he's going to university with a full scholarship. He's the brains of this team, and we’re lucky to have him."

"That child would have been an excellent student at the academy," Shadowsan said more to himself than anyone else. "Dr. Bellum would have snatched him up as her apprentice. Such a sharp mind."

"Naw, I don't have the disposition for villainy." Player's voice cut in through the base’s speaker system.

"Hey!" Ivy cried out scandalized. "You were eavesdropping on us!"

"I wasn't!" Player protested. "I was just checking in when I heard you guys talking about me!"

Ivy still looked skeptical, and crossed her arms. “That better be true!”

"I wanted to let you know that I finally cracked the encryption on the hard drive."

Carmen was instantly all business. "What did you find out?"

"The hard drive is full of launch codes from every armed country. There are countries listed here that aren't even supposed to **have** missiles!"

Carmen's eyes widened. "V.I.L.E could have wiped out the whole planet with those!"

Player paused. "...and now for the bad news."

"What is it?" Carmen asked with trepidation.

"I was checking the data files, and it looks like a single copy of the hard drive was made just a day before we stole it."

Player now had everyone's complete attention.

"**What**?!" Carmen exclaimed. "Do you know who copied it?"

"By the digital signature, it was copied by Michael Finnegan's oldest 'son' Michael Jr. It looks like he was planning on betraying dear old dad, and was in contact with some Russian organization named Volkov Inc. 

I read through his emails, and he was in correspondence with someone by the name of Numa. I tried to trace who this Numa person was, but they used a throwaway account and haven’t logged in since. I think Michael is planning on selling the hard drive. There’s been a lot of tension between him and his father ever since the paternity test, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was him who ordered the hit on his own father."

"Why would he do that?" Carmen asked in surprise. “He’d kill his own father over just a few arguments?!”

"I did a little poking around and it looks like when the results came back from the paternity test, Michael Sr. wrote Jr. out of the will and **told** him he was doing it. Sr. seems to be a bit obsessed with family and continuing his lineage and he made Jason Finnegan heir instead of Michael Jr. 

He gave MJ a choice between being thrown out onto the streets or working for him at his company. Michael Jr. chose to work for his ‘father’ and has been his second in command for the last four years. I read a furious email Jr. sent to his mother after he found out, and it was **not** very nice, if you know what I mean.

MJ lost everything from those paternity results, and he’s been incredibly bitter about it ever since."

"And where **is** this Michael Finnegan Jr.?" Shadowsan asked, getting to his feet.

"Still working from his father's French office building in Poitiers."

"Aw, you mean we gotta go all the way back to France? We've only been back for three days!" Ivy complained, as she too got to her feet.

"We can't leave these launch codes in the wrong hands. We need to get that copy from junior as soon as possible," Carmen told her, "Okay, Player, we're on our way to the airport. Can you arrange travel for us?"

"Already on it, Red. Be to the airport in 40 minutes and a private jet will be waiting for you."

"Perfect," Carmen said.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Carmen was a block from Michael Finnegan's office building, nursing a cup of coffee as she waited for everyone to get to their assigned positions. Shadowsan sat across from her, cup of tea untouched as he stared off down the street. He insisted on accompanying her, stating that security was going to be much tighter since the theft of the hard drive and assassination attempt. Knowing it was pointless to argue, she had instead accepted his help without a word.

"Okay, Carm, we're parked across from the office building at the laundromat,” Ivy said into her com, “They have four armed security guards standing at the doors, and I bet there's a lot more inside."

"She's right." Player agreed, "Every floor is riddled with men with guns. We can't go through the vents this time because he welded them all shut after the hard drive went missing. He's being **so** paranoid that he even boarded up all the windows on his floor of the building. You'll have to think of a way to get in the front door."

"Ok, plan B is a go everyone," Carmen responded. "Are you ready, Shadowsan?"

"I am **always** ready." Shadowsan responded, his expression going fierce as he stood to his feet.

It only took them a few minutes to reach the building, and Carmen eyed the guards, trying to calculate her escape if things went wrong. She observed how everyone was being turned away from the building, including the postman. Plan B wasn’t going to work.

"We may have to go with plan D instead." she said finally, not seeing any other way inside.

Player was surprised. "Really, plan D? That’s kinda risky, isn’t it?"

"Not even delivery people are being allowed in the building right now. I don't see another way. Can you set everything up for us?"

"Sure thing, Red. I'll have it ready before you speak with Mr. Finnegan."

"Okay." Carmen said, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a couple hair elastics. Tying her hair into pigtails, she hid her hat inside her coat, and then turned to Shadowsan.

"Try not to act too intimidating," she begged, knowing how gruff he could be.

"I have been going on missions longer than you have been breathing," Shadowsan responded.

Carmen gave him a nod, and then turned her attention back to the building.

Adopting a happy,and innocent look, Carmen strolled right up to the door and she was immediately stopped by the guards.

"_ Défense d'entrer _!" the guard informed her harshly.

"Hi!" Carmen said, her voice overly chipper. "I came here to see my dad!"

"No entry allowed," the guard repeated, this time in English.

"My dad is named Michael Finnegan," Carmen said innocently. "Do you know him?"

The four guards all stared at her with wide eyes.

"Yeah, I like took this DNA test thingy and it says my father is named Michael Finnegan. I like totally looked him up and everything, and it says he works here. Is he working today? Can I see him?"

The guards simply stared at her, not sure what to do.

"I'm his illegitimate daughter from America!" Carmen yelled out as if this was the happiest moment of her life. "I finally know who my real dad is! My dad is Michael Finnegan!"

The guards shot nervous glances all around, clearly worried about this conversation being overheard.

"Shh!" One of the guards hissed at her.

"I'm Michael Finnegan's daughter, and I'd like to see him!" Carmen said, not lowering her voice.

The guard looked her up and down, noted her red hair and blue eyes and had to admit she looked a **lot** like his boss. He seemed a bit uncertain and exchanged a look with the others. They gave him a shrug, and so he turned back to Carmen.

"Keep your voice down and follow me!" he ordered, turning his attention to Shadowsan. "And who is this?"

"My other dad! Now I have **two** dads!" Carmen said, raising her voice even more.

"Okay, okay, just keep your voice down." The guard said, ushering both of them into the building.

The guard brought them into the lobby, and pointed to a couple of chairs. "Wait here." he ordered. "Don't move from this spot or there will be trouble."

They watched as the guard walked over and whispered something to the receptionist. The receptionist's eyes widened in horror, and she quickly snatched up her phone and made a frantic call, probably to Michael Finnegan himself. Two armed guards were hovering over them, and so they waited patiently. Almost 20 minutes later, a tall suited man, with dark slicked back hair approached them.

"Mr. Finnegan will see you now." he said, looking them over with disdain. "I am Mr. Finnegan’s personal assistant, and has tasked me with collecting you. Please follow me."

He led them to the elevator, and Carmen hoped this wasn't going to be a trap. This situation was incredibly dangerous, but she didn’t see any other way.

"Jr. Is on the 28th floor," Player informed her. "He's been hanging around there for a few days now. His 'father' must have assigned him there."

The elevator went to the very top floor, and the personal assistant flashed them an irritated look, and then motioned them towards Michael Finnegan's office.

"I will be right outside this door,” the assistant promised them, “If you do **anything** Mr. Finnegan doesn't approve of, this will be a **very** bad day for you."

Carmen gave him a sweet smile, and then entered the office, Shadowsan following behind her silently. Michael Finnegan was seated behind his desk looking angry and somewhat nervous. His gaze zeroed in on Carmen, and he was very obviously looking her up and down suspiciously.

Once the door was closed, Michael spoke up before they even had a chance to take a seat. "I just logged into my ancestry profile online. It gave me a notification of a new family member, and it added you to my family tree. Your DNA test confirms you are my daughter."

Carmen, with an excited smile, approached and threw her arms around Michael in a tight hug. "I'm so glad to finally meet you, daddy! My name is Michelle."

When she hugged him, Michael's entire body went stiff, clearly **very** uncomfortable with this situation. He didn't notice when his wallet and keys were lifted out of his pockets.

"You're not getting one of my kidneys," he informed her, eyes narrowed to slits.

Carmen laughed as if it was a hilarious joke. "You're so silly! I don't want **anything** from you!"

Michael clearly didn’t believe her. "You probably want money then, am I right?"

"Oh no," Carmen quickly corrected. "My step-dad is very rich. I don't need any money." She put her arm around Shadowsan with a smile.

Michael's attention was instantly on Shadowsan. "You're her father?" he asked skeptically.

"Step-father," Shadowsan replied. "I raised Michelle her whole life, and she was a true joy to have."

Michael frowned suspiciously. "How old are you, Michelle?" he demanded.

"I just turned eighteen last month." she replied.

Mr. Finnegan's posture relaxed somewhat when he realized he wouldn't have to pay child support. "And why are you here now?" he asked.

"I wanted to meet my biological father," Carmen told him, flashing him her most innocent smile. "I was hoping we could get to know each other."

"You really don't want anything?" Mr. Finnegan asked, his tone somewhat gentler than it had been.

"Nothing, other than getting to know you."

"And you’re fine with this?" he asked Shadowsan in surprise.

"I am fine with whatever my daughter wishes to do in life. I am very proud of her." Shadowsan replied.

Michael looked thoughtful. "I don't have any daughters..." he said hesitantly. "At least I didn't **think** I did until today. I have six...er **five** sons, but no daughters. We will have to discuss this whole matter further. How long are you in Poitiers?"

"My daughter can stay as long as she wants," Shadowsan responded. "She has her trust fund to live on, and she will be quite comfortable."

Michael Finnegan nodded. "I don't mean to cut this meeting short, but you've caught me at a really bad time, and I'm extremely busy. Give your details to my personal assistant, and we'll set up a meeting for lunch tomorrow. How does that sound?"

Carmen gave him a grin. "That sounds great, daddy!"

"Your older brother is working two floors down if you want to meet him. It's not like that layabout is actually doing anything constructive anyway."

"Ohhhh, I get to meet Jason?" Carmen asked, smiling at him innocently.

Mr. Finnegan winced. "No, it's actually your brother Michael Jr. downstairs, but we call him MJ."

"I don't remember seeing a Michael Jr. on our family tree." Carmen said in surprise. "He should get the DNA test done like the rest of us!"

Mr. Finnegan looked slightly ill at her words, but he masked it with an awkward smile. “Yes, perhaps,” he said evasively, “You look a lot like me, and I can tell you’re a very intelligent young woman. I really want to speak with you more, but I have an incredibly important conference call in just a few minutes.”

“Don’t worry, I understand!” Carmen assured him.

Michael made a big show of shuffling a few papers on his desk. "I really have to get back to work now, Michelle. It was nice meeting you, and I look forward to our lunch tomorrow."

Carmen gave him another big hug. "Me too! See you tomorrow, daddy!"

As she and Shadowsan left the office, she saw the personal assistant on the phone, clearly getting instructions from his boss. When he saw them, his demeanor completely changed from what it was like before. 

"Miss Michelle, would you like me to accompany you to the 28th floor?" he asked, “Your father has informed me that you have full clearance effective immediately.”

"No, thank you," Carmen responded politely. "I'd like to speak with my stepfather alone for a few minutes before I meet my brother MJ."

"Of course, miss Michelle. Please provide me with your address and phone number and I will be in touch tomorrow to schedule lunch with your father."

Carmen wrote down a random hotel name and provided the phone number for her burner phone.

The personal assistant watched her get on the elevator, and the second the doors closed, she reached up a hand to her ear to press her com.

"Player, can you make me a reservation at the Château du Clos de la Ribaudière in case someone checks to see if I'm there?"

"Sure, Red, I'll make it so you checked in last night."

Carmen turned to Shadowsan. "We're going to need a big distraction."

Shadowsan nodded. "Find Michael Jr. and keep him distracted for a few minutes." He hit the elevator button and got off on the 29th floor. "Be ready."

Carmen nodded, and once she was alone on the elevator, she said. "I almost feel a little guilty about pulling the whole long-lost daughter scam. He actually seemed really excited."

"He's a terrible person, and deserves to be tricked." Player responded. "Don't worry too much about it, Red. This is the same guy who disowned Michael Jr. after having raised him for eighteen years.”

“Yeah, I suppose,” Carmen acknowledged.

“ I'm going radio-silent for a few minutes until I get security down for you.” Player informed her. “Talk to you in a few."

The elevator dinged, and Carmen got off on the 28th floor. The guards posted at the elevator gave her a curious look and she smiled. "Hi, I'm looking for my brother MJ. Dad said he was down here."

The guards’ eyes widened and they wordlessly pointed down the hallway. Carmen thanked them and then made her way to where she already knew Michael Jr. was. Just as she turned the corner, she saw him exiting a door while wiping blood from his hands onto a rag. She recognized him from the family portrait, and she stared at his bloody hands, and then at the long and sharp knife he was cleaning. 

Carmen shot the room he had exited from an alarmed look, knowing whatever was beyond that door, was **not** anything good. Who was being hurt in there?!

"He **still** won't break!" Michael complained to the nearby guard. "I've done everything I can think of, but he won't tell us **anything**!”

The guard didn’t seem especially interested, and gave him a shrug. Michael’s voice was thick with an Irish accent, and he seemed incredibly agitated.

“I'm going to have to start cutting off limbs soon, because my father is starting to get impatient. He wants that hard drive back, but the stubborn idiot won't break! This weirdo is honestly starting to creep me out."

Carmen’s eyes widened. It was the captured V.I.L.E operative. Carmen felt a stir of horror, realizing V.I.L.E had never rescued him. They had left him to be killed.

Pretending she didn't notice anything amiss, Carmen called out to Michael Jr. "Heya MJ!"

Michael spun around, and when he saw her, he reached for the gun on his belt. 

MJ looked to be in his early 20’s, and his short dark hair was slicked back with gel. His dark eyes narrowed at her suspiciously, and Carmen observed his various piercings thoughtfully. He seemed to be trying very hard to exude an aura of toughness, but it was ruined by the fact he was rather awkward in his movements.

MJ was the only one in the family to be dark haired with dark eyes, whereas the rest of his siblings were ginger with fair eyes. No wonder Michael Sr. had been suspicious after the accusations against his wife were made. It was a tough position to be in, and Carmen honestly pitied him a bit. None of that was his fault, but he was paying the price for it.

"Pleased to meet you, brother!" she said, reaching out to hug him. 

He stunk of axe body spray and weed, and Carmen grimaced. A quick check of his pockets revealed he did not have the hard drive on him. Michael faltered, and seemed incredibly confused, pulling away from her abruptly.

"Brother?! What are you talking about, you crazy bit-"

"Ah ah ah!" Carmen interrupted. "You wouldn't be calling a lady a rude name now would you? Father dearest would be soooo disappointed in you."

"I've never seen you before in my life!" he exclaimed, lowering the gun. “Who are you?!”

"Don't be so silly! I'm your sister from America! Didn't our father tell you I was coming?"

Michael Jr's eyes widened. "I don't have any sisters!"

One of the guards then leaned over and whispered something into his ear.

Michael's eyes widened further. "She's telling the truth?!" he cried.

The guard nodded.

Michael turned his gaze back to Carmen, and for a brief moment genuine hurt showed in his eyes, which was quickly masked by an intense jealously. He looked her up and down, and then his lip curled in disgust.

“So, you’re just a bastard,” he commented.

Carmen smiled at him, and then clapped a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Father has wholeheartedly invited me into the family! Isn’t that great, MJ! Now we can hang out all the time!”

MJ’s whole body stiffened and he went silent, and Carmen wondered if she’d gone too far. “I’m sorry,” she said, “Are you alright?”

Michael shrugged her hand away from his shoulder, and then holstered his gun. “I’m fine,” he snapped angrily. “Everything’s wonderful.”

His tone was completely icy, and Carmen knew she had to change the subject. “I’m going to be attending Cal-Tech in September, are you still in university?”

Michael’s face flushed, and Carmen wondered what she’d done wrong. He didn’t answer and scowled away from her, fists clenched.

“Have I said something wrong?” she asked.

Michael turned angry eyes to her, and the hardness there actually took her aback. “I have no interest in being your friend,” he snapped, “Even if you **are** a bastard of my father’s, I’m still his second in command. You’re **nothing**.”

"I have located the hard drive in Michael Jr.’s private rooms." Shadowsan's voice said over her com. "Where will I meet you after I start the distraction?"

Carmen's eyes traveled over to the door Michael had just come out of moment’s before. "Custodial supplies?" she read out loud. "Do you work here as a janitor, brother dearest?"

Michael flushed even darker. "**No**, of course not, you moron! I work directly with my father! I’m valuable to him!"

"Are you ready?" Shadowsan asked, “I’m ready to set off the distraction.”

"Yes, of course, I understand." she responded, to reply to both MJ and Shadowsan.

Michael stared at her long and hard, and then crossed his arms. "Why did he bring you here?" he demanded. "And why didn't he tell me about it? Are you going to be working with us?!"

Carmen gave him a shrug. "Couldn't say. Maybe you and he aren't as close as you think, big brother?"

For a brief moment there was a look of uncertainty, but it was quickly masked by anger. "How **dare** you, you ugly little cun-"

He was cut off by a massive explosion upstairs, and immediately the fire alarms began going off. Smoke was quickly flowing into the hallway and the guards jumped into action. Listening to their ear-pieces, they quickly headed towards the explosion.

"Building is being evacuated," one called back to them. "Leave by the stairs in case the elevator goes out of order."

Michael stared for a moment, seemingly taken aback, but then he let out a snort. "Like I'm walking down 28 flights of stairs. The lab probably just exploded again. This happens at least twice a year. I'm taking the elevator.”

Michael then paused, and glanced back at Carmen. Several odd emotions crossed his face before he settled on a frown. “Coming?" he asked, motioning towards the elevator.

Carmen shook her head. "I'll take the stairs like the guard said to."

Michael Jr. sneered at this, but didn't comment. "Your choice."

Without another word, he fled down the hall, leaving her alone. 

Carmen turned to the Custodial Room door, and felt a knot in her throat, unsure of what she should do. Images of an injured Crackle came to her mind, and she knew she needed to know for sure. She had to make sure it wasn’t one of her former friends. 

Pulling out Michael Sr's keycard, she swiped the keypad, and the door clicked unlocked. Slowly opening the door, she stepped inside and then froze at what she saw. She was **not** prepared for the sight that met her, and she clapped a hand to her mouth in horror. 

Blood was absolutely everywhere, and she stared at the flecks on the walls and even on the ceiling. A puddle of blood was in the corner of the room near a pile of rags, and Carmen felt his stomach give a lurch.

Suddenly, Carmen became aware that she could hear raspy breathing coming from somewhere within the pile of rags. Stepping further into the room, she saw the rags was actually a person wrapped in a blanket. The crumpled figure was laying in the corner of the room with his back to her, and Carmen couldn’t tell who it was. He was wrapped tightly in the blood-soaked blanket, and Carmen stared, a deep sense of dread settling into the pit of her stomach. This was a V.I.L.E operative, her sworn enemy, but she just knew she **had** to do something. No one deserved to die like this, and Carmen couldn’t believe MJ had done something like this.

Approaching slowly, she knelt down next to the man, and placed her hand very gently on his shoulder. There was an immediate flinch of fear, and the figure curled in on himself further, obviously expecting more pain.

“Hey, it’s going to be okay,” she said softly, “I’m here to help.”

The man curled up even smaller, obviously terrified, and Carmen knew she had to prove she wasn’t working for the Finnegans.

"It's Black Sheep," Carmen whispered to him. "You know who I am, and you know I don’t hurt people. I **promise** I’m not going to do anything to cause you any pain."

The response was immediate and the figure slowly, and painfully rolled over to look up at her. His face was barely recognizable because of all the blood and bruises, and it took Carmen a moment to recognize him. To her complete surprise, she realized it was Mime Bomb. 

When he saw it really **was** Carmen, Mime Bomb reached out with one hand and clutched her shirt, his eyes desperate and pleading. There was so much fear and pain in his eyes, that Carmen knew right then that she couldn't leave him there. His make-up was smeared, and his clothes were in bloody tatters, and she knew he was hurt incredibly badly. Every inch of him seemed to be covered in blood, and he could barely see out of one of his eyes. 

Carmen swallowed heavily. This wasn't just a random V.I.L.E operative, this was one of her teammates, one of the people she lived and trained with for a whole year. The guilt over the whole situation grew, and Carmen took a deep breath, knowing she had to do something fast.

"Can you get up?" she whispered.

Mime bomb slowly shook his head, not even having the energy to sit.

Carmen looked him over and saw one of his arms was clearly broken, the limb at an odd angle and hanging limply. "Is anything else broken?" she asked him, trying to figure out how to move him.

He nodded and pointed to his chest.

"Your ribs?"

A silent nod was her only reply.

"Okay Mimosa Bombosa, we're going to get you out of here, I promise." she whispered. 

Long ago, during training, she had given him that nickname since no one knew his real name. When he heard her use it, he seemed to relax a bit and he gave her a nod.

Very gently and carefully, she wrapped her arms around him, and pulled, trying to help him to his feet. His face twisted in agony, but not a sound escaped him. Once she got him sitting, she then pulled and lifted with all her might until she finally got him standing. Mime Bomb couldn't support himself, his legs shaking from the strain, and he leaned his full weight against Carmen to stay up. Mime Bomb was a very thin person, but Carmen still knew this was going to be a difficult escape.

"What are you doing?" came an unexpected voice.

They both looked up to the sight of Shadowsan standing in the doorway. His eyes glanced over Mime Bomb briefly, and then settled onto Carmen.

"We have to help him." Carmen said. "Come on!"

"We need to leave right this instant, we cannot take him with us. You need to leave him here."

Carmen flashed him a furious look. "How can you say that? **Look** at him!"

"I’m being rational,” Shadowsan replied, “He is our enemy, and he will jeopardize this mission. We cannot take him."

"Shadowsan, they're going to kill him! Look how hurt he is!"

"He is our enemy," Shadowsan repeated. "We don't have time to argue about this. Come with me at once before security gets here."

"You were once my enemy too!" Carmen pointed out. "He was your student, you **taught** him to be a criminal! He was in your class for an entire **year**, and don’t you feel in any way responsible? How could you just leave him here?!"

Shadowsan narrowed his eyes. "Don't be foolish. How can we take him with us? There are dozens of armed security all over this building! We are leaving him here, and that’s final!"

Mime Bomb shook his head desperately in terror, and Carmen met Shadowsan's gaze fiercely. "If you won't help him, then I will do it myself."

She began slowly walking towards the door, struggling under the dead weight she was supporting. Shadowsan watched her for a moment, and then let out a long, irritated sigh. Picking up the discarded blanket, he approached, wrapped Mime Bomb in it, and then easily lifted him into his arms. Mime Bomb gave Shadowsan an uncertain look, but the other man was being gentle in how he held him, clearly not wanting to hurt him further. Shadowsan glared down at him for a moment and then let out a second sigh.

“If you insist on this foolishness, then fine, but this may cost us this mission,” Shadowsan snapped, turning towards the door.

“Thank you,” Carmen told him genuinely.

"Now come!" Shadowsan ordered, taking off at a run into the hallway.

Carmen ran after him, relieved and grateful that he actually agreed to help.

"This is going to make things a **lot** trickier when you try to leave the lobby downstairs." Player stated.

Carmen couldn't tell if he was disapproving or not. "Are ambulances on the way?" she asked.

"Already on site," he informed her. "Cameras are all down, and so no one will see you until you reach the lobby."

By the time they got to the bottom floor, Carmen never wanted to see a stair again in her entire life. Twenty-eight floors was over 700 stairs, and Carmen was breathing hard when they finally made it to the lobby. To his credit, Shadowsan wasn't even out of breath yet, and they hurriedly made their way towards the front door where large crowds of people were fighting to get out. A security guard started to approach them, and so Carmen pointed to the wrapped up Mime Bomb.

"He was caught in the blast. We need to get him to an ambulance!"

The guard nodded, instantly taking action and pushing through the crowd to make a path for them. Once outside, they headed for the nearest ambulance and as soon as the paramedics saw the blood, they immediately took Mime Bomb from Shadowsan, placing him on the gurney.

"Get the 'you-know-what' out of here to a safe location." she instructed Shadowsan. "I'm going to the hospital with Mime Bomb."

Shadowsan looked like he wanted to protest, but he simply let out another heavy sigh, and then disappeared into the crowd without a single word. Crawling into the ambulance, Carmen sat next to Mime Bomb, who immediately reached for her hand, terror still haunting his eyes. Carmen gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, and offered him a smile.

"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere." she promised, as the doors were closed. "You're safe now. No one’s going to hurt you."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**TBC**

**Reviews Make The Auhor Happy! ^_^**


	3. The Hospital

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authornote:  
Not too much to say about this chapter, other than please ignore any typos you may come across. Please let me know what you think of the fic so far, as I'm always up for suggestions or criticisms. 
> 
> I'm not too sure how long I'll keep writing this fic, but for now, happy reading!

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**The Silence**

**Chapter Three **

**The Hospital**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The room was cold and dark, the only light coming from the dull green glow of the surrounding machinery. There was a massive desk in the center of the room and five people were seated at it, side by side. Two men cautiously made their way across the room, and then stood in front of the desk, looking quite nervous. The head faculty of V.I.L.E stared down at the two field operatives that stood before them, and it was obvious the two men had no idea why they’d been summoned.

Professor Maelstrom was a tall, thin, white-haired old man, and he frowned in disapproval at the fear he saw on the operatives faces. Operatives tended to liken his appearance to that of a vampire, and by his pale skin and pale eyes, it was easy to see why. He narrowed his eyes at the two operatives, and simply observed them for a few moments. Steepling his fingers together, he was the first one to speak.

"We have been betrayed once again by one of our field operatives." he stated in obvious disdain.

El Topo and Le Chèvre exchanged a surprised look.

El Topo was latino, broad-shouldered with tan skin, and had a rather impressive silver faux-hawk. Long and curved claws were on his gloves, and he was known for digging, and hand-to-hand combat.

"It wasn't  **us** !" El Topo protested, his voice heavily accented, “We are nothing but loyal to V.I.L.E!”

"Of  **course** it wasn't either of you, you moron! We’d have had you killed without hesitation! Do you really think we would have called you here if we suspected you?" Coach Brunt snapped. 

"I...I suppose not." El Topo replied.

Coach Brunt was an absolutely massive woman, and she stood at nearly 6’5 and was the strongest person within the entire organization. She had short green-dyed hair, and was always wearing a track suit of some sort. She had a thick southern accent, and her bad temper was legendary.

Le Chèvre nudged him subtly and El Topo fell silent, simply waiting for their instructions.

Le Chèvre was tall, thin, with dark skin and angry eyes, and easily stood a foot over his partner. Le Chèvre was known for his ability to climb anything, and he had perfect balance.

Together Le Chèvre and El Topo made up high and low and were the perfect partners.

"An operative was sent to retrieve a  **very** valuable hard drive in Poitiers, but he has betrayed us.” Roundabout explained. “Instead of delivering the hard drive as he was supposed to, he kept it for himself, and then framed V.I.L.E for an assassination attempt on the head of the Irish mafia. They in turn, have declared war on us, and many field agents have been injured because of this. I don't know what organization he is planning on selling the hard drive to, but we need to neutralize him and retrieve the hard drive at all costs."

Both men nodded, realizing how serious the situation was. They couldn't believe anyone would  **dare** betray V.I.L.E after seeing the mayhem Black Sheep had caused.

"We will leave for Poitiers at once," Le Chèvre promised. "What is our mission? Retrieving the hard drive?"

Countess Cleo let out an over-dramatic sigh. They stared up at the beautiful Egyptian former model, and waited as she considered her words. "We have chosen you two for this mission because you were in the same graduating year as the traitor. Your mission is to kill him and locate the hard drive.”

“Who is it?” El Topo asked in surprise. It was shocking that someone from his own class had betrayed them.

“Your target is Mime Bomb,” Cleo informed them, “Eliminate him with no witnesses, and return here promptly."

"Mime Bomb?" Le Chèvre repeated in disbelief. "That little tattletale betrayed us?"

“That’s very strange,” El Topo commented, “Mime Bomb has always been loyal to V.I.L.E.”

"I always  **knew** there was a reason I didn't like that weirdo." Le Chèvre muttered.

Mime Bomb was well known amongst the operatives to delight in snitching on his fellow agents, and it had caused quite a bit of resentment among the ranks. Although Mime Bomb had been their roommate all throughout training, he was  **never** included in their friend group for that very reason. No one wanted their every misdeed filed away to be used against them later.

"It will be taken care of," Le Chèvre promised.

Coach Brunt narrowed her eyes. "Failure is  **not** an option here, gentlemen. You don't want to know what will happen to you if you come back without that traitor's head on a platter."

"You want us to cut off his head?!" El Topo cried out in horror.

Coach Brunt paused. "Well, no , not  **literally** , but you get the point."

"Mime Bomb's communicator is still active, and when I traced it, it shows he’s located at the Finnegan Poitiers base." Dr. Bellum informed them without looking up from her computer screen. "The signal has remained steady, and so it's likely he chose to remain there for whatever reason. The coordinates have already been uploaded to your own communicators."

They gave her a nod, and she went back to screens without another word. Dr. Saira Bellum was a tiny Indian scientist with a wild white and black mohawk, and she was always wearing thick goggles that covered her eyes. She was easily the most eccentric of the faculty and rarely intervened in their decisions and discussions.

Professor Maelstrom gave the two operatives a severe look. "You will keep us updated on  **everything** ." he said, his tone brooking no room for discussion.

"Yes, we understand." Le Chèvre replied.

"Good. A helicopter is waiting for you on the roof. You are to leave immediately." Cleo informed them.

As Le Chèvre and El Topo left the room, they exchanged a long and uncertain look with one another, but neither said a word. They would do as they were ordered, even if that meant murdering someone they knew. They had no choice.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

At some point during the ambulance ride, Mime Bomb had lost consciousness, and the paramedics quickly checked him, making sure he would make it to the hospital. Although he remained unconscious, the paramedics assured Carmen he was stabilized for the moment.

"He's lost a lot of blood." one of them stated with a frown. He turned his gaze to Carmen. "What kind of blast was he caught in? There are wounds on him that look like it was caused by a knife!"

"It was a lab explosion." Carmen told them "I think he was hit with shrapnel from the nearby equipment."

One of the paramedics made note of that on his clipboard. "And who are you?" he asked. "Normally, only family are allowed to ride with the patient."

"I'm his...his sister." Carmen replied, unable to think of any other reasonable relation.

The paramedic looked a little relieved. "Oh good. It's always better to have a family member when the patient is unconscious. I need to get some information about your brother."

"Oh, um, of course." Carmen replied, doubting she'd actually be of much use.

"What is your brother's blood type?"

"O negative." she responded without hesitation, surprised she actually could help. She had snooped in all of V.I.L.E's agent files while still a student and she distinctly remembered Mime Bomb's blood type because he was the only one in their whole group with the same blood type as her.

"Are you an O negative as well?" he asked. "He will probably need a donor once we reach the hospital."

Carmen nodded. "I am."

"Would you be willing to donate to him if we require it?"

Again Carmen nodded. "Of course."

"I need to ask you some information for insurance purposes." the paramedic informed him.

"What do you need to know?" she asked, knowing there was very little she could truthfully answer. She knew next to nothing about Mime Bomb other than the little bit in his V.I.L.E file.

"What is your brother's name?"

"Martin Bombosa." Carmen said, saying the first thing that came to mind.

"Date of birth?"

Carmen had no idea how old he was, and so made a guess. "April 1st 1997."

"Does he have any allergies to food or medication?"

"I..I don't know." Carmen admitted. "I don't think so."

"Why are the two of you in France? Are you tourists?" he asked.

"Yes, we were on a two week holiday from Florida."

"Does your brother have any sort of medical coverage?"

Carmen shook her head. "No, but I can pay for whatever care he needs." she assured him. "We are very wealthy and come from a long line of...gator farmers."

The paramedic gave her an odd look, but didn't question it. "You will probably have a lot of paperwork to fill out at reception." he told her as the ambulance arrived at the hospital.

The doors to the ambulance were opened and several paramedics pulled the gurney out and Carmen followed behind them as they rushed into the hospital. A few minutes later found her sitting in a waiting room with a mountain of paperwork as Mime Bomb was examined.

"You doing okay, Red?" Player's voice cut in.

"I'm fine." she responded. "Not so sure about Mime Bomb though, he's in pretty bad shape."

"Let us know when you want to be picked up." Player told her. "The doctors will be able to help Mime Bomb from here."

"I just want to make sure he'll be okay." Carmen answered. "I left him there for three days and look what happened to him! I can't help but feel responsible."

"None of this is your fault." Player assured her firmly. "You had no way of knowing what was going to be done to him. Mime Bomb is a villain and he knows the risks."

"Yeah, but he was my former teammate and I made a promise not to leave him. He's been through a traumatizing ordeal, and I just want to help. I will stay with him until he's out of danger, and then turn him over to Interpol."

"Just don't trust him." Player cautioned.

"I know, I know."

"Shadowsan met up with Zack and Ivy and they're waiting for you at the airport hotel." Player stated. They can be there in ten minutes if you need them."

"Okay, thanks, Player, I'll keep you posted."

Now that she was alone with her own thoughts, she turned her attention back to the paperwork. After just a few minutes, a nurse came out to her to let her know her blood was needed. They took two units of blood from her in a small room off of surgery and the doctor soon approached to speak with her.

"Your brother is being taken into emergency surgery." he informed her. "He has internal bleeding and a collapsed lung from broken ribs, many deep lacerations, and his broken arm is going to require pins to properly set. The surgery is not without its risks, and we need your go-ahead to proceed."

"Is he going to live?" Carmen asked, hoping the answer would be yes.

"It's too early to say as of yet." the doctor replied. "I need you to sign the release form right now because he's waiting in surgery."

The doctor thrust a pen and paper at her, and she signed it without even bothering to read it. The doctor then took the form and disappeared into another room, leaving the nurse to lead Carmen back to the waiting room. Carmen took a seat, and glanced up at the clock, wondering how long it would be until she heard anything.

As the time went on, Carmen found her mind wandering, and she thought of her time during training. She had been so happy to finally feel accepted and appreciated, and she truly did enjoy spending time with her friends at the academy. She spent every free minute with them, and even Tigress was somewhat tolerable back then. Mime Bomb was never included, however, both because he was a tattletale and because everyone found him weird. In the whole year of training he had never once spoken a single word, even before he donned his Mime Bomb costume for the first time. The teachers did not question his silence, and even seemed to cater to him so he could properly do the assignments, and she now wondered if he could speak. She was only 16 during training and didn't have the maturity to look at him from any other perspective. He had always seemed like he wanted to join in with them, but they rejected him every time he came around. Now that she thought about it, it seemed incredibly cruel of them. They had done it for no other reason than he was shy and somewhat weird. No wonder he had started tattling on them.

Carmen remembered when training first began, she'd had an incredibly embarrassing failure during agility training that had left half her uniform stuck to a piece of barbed wire. Her friends had teased her mercilessly about seeing her underwear and she'd felt like she was going to die from the humiliation. To a 16 year old, that was the end of the world, and she had stayed up all night fretting about it. In the early morning, she got up to sit in the cafeteria alone and drown her sorrows in copious amounts of coffee. To her annoyance, she was not alone, and Mime Bomb was making himself breakfast on the other side of the room. When he glanced over at her she had snapped at him to not look at her and to mind his own business. He had gone back to what he was doing without another glance. She sat there, head in hands, as she wished she could erase the day before, and it was the sound of something being set down in front of her that made her look up. There was a plate with three happy-face pancakes in front of her, the face made out of blueberries, and when she glanced up, Mime Bomb was carrying his own plate out of the room. He didn't even look at her, and once he was gone, she had stared at the pancakes and felt just a tiny bit better. The random, silly little gesture was enough to make her smile. In fact, it was enough that she had simply laughed when teased by her friends later, and the failure wasn't brought up again.

She knew they were villains, but she couldn't help but miss her friends. She missed Crackle's constant sarcasm and sense of humour, the tenderness between EL Topo and Le Chèvre that they thought no one knew about, even Tigress' snarky comments about absolutely everything that hid her own insecurities. How angry and hurt they'd all been when she'd left V.I.L.E, and she knew that their friendship was long gone. They were on opposite sides, and she was the cause of their constant failures. She imagined they all hated her now.

Carmen let out a heavy sigh, and glanced up at the clock, seeing Mime Bomb had been in surgery for over two hours. Not sure how long it would be, she once again pulled the stack of paperwork over to fill out.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Le Chèvre perched on top of a nearby supermarket, watching the firetrucks and ambulances that swarmed in front of the building in curiosity.

"El Topo, can you see what's going on from down there, mon ami?" he asked into his com.

"From what I've heard, there was some sort of explosion on an upper floor. Someone said an experiment went wrong in the lab."

Le Chèvre glanced at his phone and saw it showed Mime Bomb just in front of them, somewhere in the thick crowd. "Do you see him, Antonio?"

El Topo glanced around as he elbowed his way through the crowd. "No, amigo. I don't see him anywhere. I don't think he's here."

Le Chèvre frowned, and gave another glance to his communicator. He gave the screen a few taps, but it seemed to be working alright, and so with a few nimble hops, he made his way down to the sidewalk to join his partner. 

"It shows the signal coming from nearby, so I will have to follow it to see where it's coming from. He must have dumped his com."

There was so much chaos in the crowd, that no one noticed the two costumed men as they made their way through the crowd. Le Chèvre followed the signal until it showed he was right in front of it and he looked up to see a scowling young man smoking a joint. The young man was brazenly smoking it within feet of several police officers, and he clearly wasn’t worried. 

Checking one more time to confirm the signal, Le Chèvre motioned towards the man, and El Topo nodded in understanding. They made to walk past the man, but then without warning, they each grabbed one of his arms and yanked him off down the nearby alley.

"Hey!" the man protested, thrashing to get away. "What the hell do you think you're doing?! Let me go!"

El Topo had him pinned to the wall by his throat in an instant. Le Chèvre leaned in close and then narrowed his eyes at the man.

"Can you explain to me, why you seem to have my associate's communicator?"

"What the  **hell** are you talking about, you fucking weirdo? Do you have  **any** idea who I am? I’m Michael Finnegan Jr.! My father runs the Finnegan syndicate, and he will have you both killed for this!”

“We don’t care who you are,” El Topo responded calmly, “Now please answer the question!”

Michael’s eyes narrowed furiously, and he kicked and struggled like a wildcat, but El Topo’s grip couldn’t be broken.

“I’ll kill you!” Michael hissed out angrily, “If you don't let me go right  **now** , you two are  **dead** ! I will stab you in your fucking throats, and then piss in the hole!”

“Charming,” Le Chèvre commented dryly.

Michael clawed uselessly at El Topo hands, but realized he was not going to escape.

“Where did you get the com in your pocket?” El Topo asked, starting to get a bit impatient.

“Are you V.I.L.E?!” Michael demanded, “I have connections with  **Volkov** , you brainless operatives! Do you have  **any** idea who they are?! They’ll  **destroy** you for laying a hand on me!"

El Topo tightened his grip and Michael Jr. immediately began to gasp for air. Le Chèvre did a thorough search of the man's pockets, and quickly found the communicator. He held it up in front of Michael’s face.

"Where did you get this?"

El Topo loosened his grip and Michael began coughing as he sucked in a deep breath. "You're looking for the clown weirdo?"

"Yes," Le Chèvre confirmed, "Where is he?"

Michael Jr. snorted. "As if I'd tell you  **that** . You can do absolutely anything to me and I'll never tell you!"

"El Topo?" Le Chèvre said calmly.

"Yes?"

"Start breaking fingers."

"Yes, amigo. I'll start with the little ones first."

Michael's eyes widened, and he instantly backed down. "He's locked in the custodial room on the 28th floor. My keycard is in my coat pocket." he said without hesitation.

Le Chèvre had already stolen the keycard, and so he turned away. "Thank you for your cooperation."

"Yes, thank you." El Topo said, smashing Michael's head into the wall hard enough to knock him out.

Dragging Michael behind a few trash cans, El Topo and Le Chèvre slipped back into the crowd and then glanced up at the building.

"How are we going to get inside? There is security and witnesses everywhere!" El Topo observed.

Le Chèvre's eyes fell on a section of the 29th floor that had been blown out. "That is how I will get in." he replied. "Wait for me here, I'll be right back with the mime."

El Topo nodded but frowned. "Be careful, mi amigo, you'll be by yourself in there."

"Always." Le Chèvre replied, making his way around the other side of the building.

Le Chèvre was certainly a talented climber as his name suggested, and there were plenty of hand and foot-holds in the old building. He expertly made his way up, and within minutes, he was inside the building. The hallways were still full of smoke which he used to his advantage to remain unseen, and he made his way to the stairwell, to go down one floor. He found the room in question unlocked, and when he stepped inside, his eyes immediately fell on the red smears of blood that covered the white floor.

"What happened in here?" he wondered out loud.

There was no sign of Mime Bomb, but Le Chèvre still glanced around looking for clues. His eyes fell on a small footprint in blood from a woman's shoe, and he scowled.

"Carmen Sandiego."

He gave another glance around the room and realized there must have been quite the struggle. Whose blood was this; Carmen's or Mime Bomb's? Where did she take him, and for what purpose? Frowning to himself, he backed out of the room and hurried to leave the way he had come. Once he was safely back on ground, El Topo approached, concerned when he saw the angry look.

"What happened?" he asked.

Le Chèvre stormed off back into the crowd. "The mime wasn't there. Carmen Sandiego beat us to him. We've lost him and have no idea where to look."

"Excuse me," a voice cut in.

Both men spun around to see a fireman standing just behind them.

"Did you say you're looking for a mime?"

Le Chèvre narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Yes, why?"

The fireman looked them up and down, seeing their costumes. "He must be in your little performance group, is he?"

"Did you see where he went?" Le Chèvre asked, not in the mood for idle chitchat.

"He was taken away in an ambulance a few hours ago. He was with some pretty little redheaded girl."

"Which hospital?" El Topo asked.

"The closest one is on Rue de la Milétrie. They probably took him there."

"Thank you." El Topo said, as both men immediately turned away to look up the address.

"You messed up this time, Carmen Sandiego." Le Chèvre muttered. "This time we will succeed in our mission."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Carmen once again glanced up at the clock. It had been nearly five hours and she still hadn't heard any news. There were now a crowd of people in the waiting room, and so she hadn't even been able to speak with Player or the others for hours. Playing a game on her phone, she was quite startled to see Le Chèvre and El Topo when she looked up next. They clearly hadn't seen her yet and so she leaned back so the man sitting next to her was blocking her from view.

Relieved V.I.L.E had actually sent agents to rescue Mime Bomb, she knew this was probably the best case scenario. V.I.L.E had excellent doctors, the best money could buy, and he would receive the care interpol couldn't. Dr. Bellum was a genius and she could probably save anyone she wanted to if she felt so inclined. Despite the fact Carmen knew she should turn him in, she knew his best chance at survival was to be taken care of by V.I.L.E.

Slowly slipping out of her seat, she snuck up behind her two former friends to eavesdrop on what they were saying.

"The nurse says he is in surgery right now." Le Chèvre whispered. "We haven't discussed how we are going to do this yet..."

They glanced around and thought they were alone in the little corridor, not realizing Carmen was hiding behind the desk beside them.

El Topo punched a fist into his hand.

"No, no, that would be too noisy." Le Chèvre responded, waving him off. "And messy."

"If he's sedated, he would be pretty easy to strangle." El Topo suggested.

Le Chèvre considered it and then shook his head. "He's already injured, and so I think it would be best to make it look natural. There will be less questions, and no police involved that way."

El Topo nodded his agreement. "How do you suggest?"

Le Chèvre rested a hand on his chin as he thought about it. "I think the easiest thing to do would be to inject something into his I.V line, like an air bubble. There will not be a mark on him and no one will be the wiser. We are already behind schedule and V.I.L.E wants confirmation of his death as soon as possible."

"Mi amigo?" El Topo asked, his expression going uncertain.

"What is it?" Le Chèvre asked, seeing the distress on his partner's face.

"I don't like this. Mime Bomb is one of us, one of our group. I don't think it's right they're asking us to do this. They should have chosen someone who doesn't know him."

"He is just a creep and a tattletale." Le Chèvre said, crossing his arms.

"Yes, but do you really want him dead?"

Le Chèvre's expression turned uncertain for a moment, but he quickly masked it. "It doesn't matter what we want. Our job is do as we are told. V.I.L.E ordered him dead, and so we will kill him. End of story."

"But, Jean Paul..."

"No buts, we have to do this."

El Topo averted his gaze and Le Chèvre placed a hand on his shoulder. "I will take care of it, mon ami, you do not have to."

El Topo nodded, but didn't reply.

Carmen's eyes were wide with shock and horror. This was no planned rescue, V.I.L.E was planning on murdering Mime Bomb! Why were they ordered to kill him? What happened that she wasn't aware of? Tip-toeing away from the two villains, Carmen found a secluded corner of her own and pressed her com.

"Zack, Ivy, Shadowsan, are you there?"

"Yeah, we're here, Carmen!" Zack's voice replied. "What's up? Time to pick you up?"

"I need your help." she said, glancing around. "V.I.L.E put a hit out on Mime Bomb. Le Chèvre and El Topo are here to kill him. I need to get him out of here as soon as he's out of surgery."

"They think he has betrayed them." Shadowsan commented. "That or he has valuable information they cannot allow out. These are the only reasons V.I.L.E would kill one of their own."

"I can't allow them to kill him." Carmen told them. "He's helpless right now, and he needs our help."

"What will we do with him?" Ivy asked.

"I don't know, but we'll figure that out later. How fast can you get here? Player estimated about ten minutes?"

"Faster if I break a few traffic laws." Zack answered.

"Player, are you listening?"

"I'm here, Red. What do you need?"

"Can you hack into the hospital records and change where it lists the room Mime Bomb is located in? That will delay Le Chèvre and El Topo for a few minutes, and hopefully long enough for us to sneak him out of there."

"Um, well, I can, but is he going to be alright to be moved this soon?"

"We have no choice."

"We're already on the way, Carm!" Ivy announced. "Where are you in the building?"

"1st floor emergency surgery dept."

"Ok, I'm changing his records to indicate he's on the 7th floor. I'll temporarily disable the elevators once they're looking for him. They'll have to walk up all seven flights of stairs which should give you a bit more time."

"Perfect, Player."

Carmen kept an eye on the two villains from where she stood waiting, and felt a sting of sadness as she stared at them. Growing up, she never had friends since everyone at the academy was always so older than her. New recruits for the academy ranged in age from 18-30, and no one that age wanted to hang around a little girl. Well, there was that one guy when she was seven that hung around her, but Coach Brunt had beaten him within an inch of his life and he'd never so much as said hello to her after that. Her first true friends had been her teammates during training. True, they were all still older than her, but there wasn't such a gap as there had once been.

As she watched the villains whisper to one another, she wondered if the old gang still hung out during their spare time, or whether their friendships had dissolved. Crackle had been mind-wiped, she had betrayed them, and now Mime Bomb was to be executed. There wasn't many of them left now in their little group.

"Heya, Carm, we're coming in the front door now." Ivy informed her. "Shadowsan is waiting outside in case he needs to stop Le Chèvre and El Topo."

"I see you." Carmen responded. "I'm near the post to the left of the reception desk."

Making sure the villains hadn't noticed them, Zack and Ivy made their way over, and hid behind the post as well.

"How is Mr. Mime doing?" Zack asked her.

"He's still in surgery, but one of the doctors told me it went well. They're just finishing the last of the stitches and then he'll be moved to a private room."

"Ok, are we really grabbing him the second he's out of surgery?" Ivy asked, sounding rather nervous. "What if we hurt him?"

"We have no choice." Carmen responded. "We'll just have to be careful."

"Carlita Bombosa?" a nurse called out.

"That's our cue." Carmen said, hurrying over, relieved when the villains didn't so much as look up.

The nurse stared at the three people who approached and crossed her arms. "Who are you?" she asked. "I only have one person listed as waiting for the patient."

"We're his family." Carmen answered.

The nurse observed the three red-heads in front of her, knowing her patient had red hair as well. "Very well, follow me." she instructed, leading them through the doors.

El Topo glanced over at Le Chèvre. "Bombosa... wasn't that what Black Sheep used to call Mime Bomb?"

Le Chèvre looked alarmed. "You're right!" he exclaimed in horror. "Carmen Sandiego is here!

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The nurse was clearly in a hurry, and flipped through her charts as she walked. "Your brother is still asleep, but you can see him now, as long as you don't disturb him."

"Er, what would happen if he moved?" Ivy asked her. "Like to get out of bed or something?"

"He might rip a few stitches if he wasn't careful." the nurse replied. "He will be in a tremendous amount of pain, and so he likely won't want to move. He shouldn't even try to get up for at least a couple days."

"Will he be alright?" Carmen asked, as they were led down a hallway.

"The surgery went well, and so as long as he takes it easy, he should be fine in a few weeks."

The nurse opened a door, and waved them inside. "Don't try to wake him too soon or he'll probably vomit." she warned. “Keep quiet."

Without another word, she was gone, off to see to her next patient.

"Not in my car!" Zack cried out in distress. "Carmen, is he gonna puke in my car?! I don't want him puking in my car!"

Carmen didn't answer, instead pulling aside the curtains to take a look at Mime Bomb. The doctors had cleaned all facepaint off, and the pale and freckled face that met her seemed somehow alien to her. She wasn't used to seeing him like this, and it seemed wrong. He had a few stitches above his eyebrow, his arm was in a cast, and she knew he had stitches somewhere on his abdomen and chest. He was breathing evenly and quietly unlike before, and Carmen knew this was a good sign. His ragged breathing from before had likely been due to the broken ribs and collapsed lung.

"He doesn't look like a bad guy." Ivy commented. "But he does look like a dork."

"Looks can be deceiving." Carmen replied, pulling aside the blankets, discovering he was wearing a hospital gown. "Mime Bomb was near top of his graduating year. He may not be very strong, but he's a talented thief."

"Please don't let him puke in my car." Zack begged.

"Ok, are we ready to do this?" Carmen questioned. "Let's get him in a wheelchair. Player?"

"Yes, Carmen?"

"Where are El Topo and Le Chèvre?"

"They just asked the front desk about Mime Bomb a few minutes ago and were directed to the seventh floor. They're making their way now to the room he's supposed to be in. We don't have a lot of time."

"Right." Carmen said, waving Zack to help her.

They very, very carefully lifted Mime Bomb out of the bed, and lowered him down into a wheelchair.

"Okay, let's get out of here." Carmen ordered, as Zack pushed the chair towards the door.

Making sure that no one noticed them, they hurried down the hallway, hoping no one would ask what they were doing.

"They just found the empty room, Red!" Player warned. "You gotta get out of there, they're running for the stairs!"

"You heard him, Zack, let's get out of here!" Ivy cried.

They ran down the hallway and then hit the button to unlock the door into the lobby. As they waited for the door to ding open, Player cut in again.

"Le Chèvre is jumping his way down the stairs and will be there any second!"

Once they got the door open, they ran across the lobby, just as they saw Le Chèvre exit the stairwell. Carmen and Le Chèvre made brief eye contact and Le Chèvre looked completely outraged. He took chase just as they made it to the door, and they ran for Zack's car that was idling nearby. Ivy threw open the backseat and crawled in as they tried to get Mime Bomb into the car as fast as possible, and Le Chèvre was almost to them. Suddenly Shadowsan lashed out from where he was lurking, and clocked Le Chèvre hard in the face, the villain slamming into the pavement hard. Rubbing at his head in pain, he looked up just in time to see the car peeling out of the parking lot, Carmen waving at him from the window.

El Topo skidded to a halt beside his partner and knelt down beside him, completely out of breath. "Carmen Sandiego?" he questioned.

"Carmen Sandiego." Le Chèvre confirmed.

El Topo helped him to his feet and stared off in the direction the car had gone. "Er...which one of us is going to report this back to V.I.L.E?"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

  
  


**TBC?**


	4. So What Now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authornote:
> 
> Hello everyone! This chapter is a bit shorter than the others because chapter 5 is going to be a long one. Chapter 5 should be up no later than Friday.
> 
> Please let me know what you think of the fic so far, as I'm always up for any comments or suggestions.
> 
> Happy Reading!

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**The Silence**

Chapter 4: So What Now?

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Mime Bomb did not so much as stir during the car ride, which Zack was grateful for. They stopped at the hotel long to enough to grab their stuff, and then were once again off, heading to where a private jet was waiting. Carmen was tired from donating a bit too much blood at the hospital, and she really hoped she wouldn't have any more high speed chases that day. Luckily, no one had followed them, and they were able to pull right up to the jet, and lift Mime Bomb out of the car without issue.

Carmen wasn't certain who their pilot was, but he didn't even bat an eye when he saw them carrying an unconscious man onto the plane. He had offered them a blanket for the patient, and then went into the cockpit without a single question. They arranged Mime Bomb as comfortably as they could on one of the luxurious couches, and Shadowsan checked his stitches, making sure they hadn't hurt him during the escape.

"He's fine." Shadowsan commented, still looking somewhat annoyed. "No tears."

"How long will he remain unconscious?" Ivy wondered.

"Not too much longer." Player cut in. "According to my research, anesthetic normally lasts less than an hour after surgery."

"This is a mistake." Shadowsan stated, glaring down at Mime Bomb. "He is a liability."

"He won't be with us for long." Carmen promised him. "I will get in touch with Interpol as soon as we land, and hopefully they'll have a program in place to keep him hidden and safe."

"If we take him to our headquarters, he will tell V.I.L.E. where it is." Shadowsan said with certainty. "We did everything we could to groom him as a spy, and he won't hesitate to relay the information."

"We'll just have to make sure he never knows where he is then." Carmen announced. "For all he knows, he'll still be in Poitiers. It's not like he can get up and look out the window."

"I am not going to take my eyes off him for even an instant." Shadowsan vowed.

Carmen nodded, and then took a seat, knowing this was going to be a long flight. Grabbing an apple out of the snack basket left for them, she leaned back to get comfortable.

"Shadowsan?" she asked.

"Yes?"

"Where did Mime Bomb come from? Who is he?" she asked.

Shadowsan crossed his arms. "We came across him in Paris just before your school year started." he replied. "We were having our yearly meeting with various high-ranking field agents, and he was performing as a mime on the street corner near the entrance to where we met."

"You just recruit random mimes from street corners?" Zack demanded incredulously.

"Of course not." Shadowsan snapped. "No one was really paying him any attention as he moved in and around the crowd as they entered, and it wasn't until during the meeting we discovered we had all been robbed. There were 36 people meeting there and he got 24 wallets, some jewelry, and a few small artifacts, all without being detected."

"Even from **you**, Shadowsan?" Carmen asked in surprise.

"I am loath to admit that he **does** have a talent for pickpocketing." Shadowsan said with a tiny hint of embarrassment. "We never even suspected him until we checked the security cameras. I wasn't even angry, far too impressed that a novice thief managed such a feat. We tracked him down easily enough, and offered him a place at the school. He resisted at first, but was persuaded."

"I've never once heard him speak." Carmen commented. "Even while being tortured by the Finnegan's, he never made a sound. Michael Finnegan Jr. was about to start cutting off limbs when we rescued him."

"Oh geez..." Zack commented, looking a bit green.

"He's never spoken a word to anyone as far as I know." Shadowsan replied. "He was given the same medical examination you all were before training, and nothing was found to be wrong with him physically. He either just chooses not to speak, or there is something psychologically stopping him. We knew he did not speak when we enrolled him, and it's never really been an issue."

"As long as you're good at charades, I guess." Ivy commented, plunking herself down into a chair.

"What's his real name?" Player asked. "I'd like to do a little research on this guy."

"No one knows." Shadowsan replied with a shrug. "V.I.L.E knows nothing about him as he refused to tell us anything about his past."

"That doesn't seem like a very safe business practice." Player observed. "Hiring people with secrets."

"Many agents prefer to remain anonymous, it comes with the line of work." Carmen explained. "Most do it to protect families they leave behind."

"Leave it to me." Player assured them. "If you found him in Paris, it's probably pretty safe to assume that he's French. I'll do a search of missing people, and run his picture through all the police databases. Someone, somewhere knows who this guy is."

"Ok, sounds good, Player." Carmen said, taking a bite of her apple.

"Uh, how are we gonna stop him from knowing he's on a plane if we want him to think he's still in Poitiers?" Zack asked. "He could wake up any minute!"

Carmen grew thoughtful as she considered it. "I have an idea, but I'll need your help."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"You have failed us yet again."

That one sentence had El Topo wincing and Le Chèvre averting his gaze.

El Topo and Le Chèvre were in their hotel room contacting V.I.L.E via their communicators, and they knew this wasn't going to go well. The council members did not look impressed, with the exception of Dr. Bellum who wasn't even paying attention. They hoped they weren't going to be mindwiped over this.

Professor Maelstrom narrowed his eyes at the two men, furious at the failure. "Do you have any information on Carmen Sandiego's whereabouts?"

"We...do not." El Topo admitted. "But we will find her! We will not fail again!"

"And why should we give you any more chances?" Coach Brunt demanded. "You have failed each and every time we pit you against that traitorous girl!"

Le Chèvre stepped forward. "It is precisely this reason we will not fail again! I am done being made a fool of, and Carmen Sandiego will go down! We will track her to the ends of the world!"

"A nice sentiment, but how will you do this?" Countess Cleo demanded skeptically.

Le Chèvre and El Topo exchanged a look.

"We will look for clues." El Topo suggested.

"Starting with the Irish Mafia." Le Chèvre added. "I think Mime Bomb might be in possession of information Carmen Sandiego does not want getting out. There has to be a reason why she beat him so badly."

Professor Maelstrom scratched his chin as he considered this. "And why do you think he's still alive?" he asked. "It would have been easy for her to just kill him."

"Exactly!" Le Chèvre insisted, knowing very well that Carmen never killed. "She could have killed him at any time, which suggests she needs him alive for something. He must know a password, or a secret location of something she needs. She wouldn't be able to kill him until he told her what she needed to know!"

"I don't know..." Countess Cleo cut in. "This seems rather unlikely."

"Hmm." Professor Maelstrom began. "I'll admit that this thought has intrigued me. It is odd that she would beat him the way she did. Dr. Bellum looked over the hospital records of his visit and she said it was surprising he had survived it."

Dr. Bellum glanced up at her name. "What?" she demanded impatiently. "I'm busy over here."

Professor Maelstrom rolled his eyes and continued. "It's unlike Carmen Sandiego to use violence like this, and so there must have been a very good reason for it."

"You don't suppose he still has the hard drive, do you?" Coach Brunt asked. "Maybe he's hidden it in a location only he knows? Or maybe she wants the name of who he was planning on selling it to?"

"Possible." Professor Maelstrom admitted. "Perhaps this situation does need a bit more investigation..."

"We will find Carmen Sandiego for you." El Topo promised. "We will get back the hard drive, and find out what it is she wants to know!"

None of the council looked convinced.

"Give us the chance to redeem ourselves!" Le Chèvre begged. "Let us show you what we are capable of!"

The council whispered amongst themselves for a few seconds, and Professor Maelstrom let out a sigh. "The only reason we are agreeing to this is because you're the only two field agents in Poitiers right now. This is your last chance, and then you will be retired."

"We won't let you down." Le Chèvre promised.

The screen went black and El Topo turned to Le Chèvre with wide eyes. "By retire, do they mean..."

"Yes, probably." Le Chèvre answered. "We must find her at all costs."

El Topo looked distressed. "But where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Shh, shh, I think he's waking up!"

Carmen leaned over Mime Bomb as he shifted slightly, and after a moment, his eyes cracked open. He blinked tiredly a few times, and then his vision cleared enough that he noticed Carmen.

"How are you feeling?" she asked him.

He lifted his arms as if to mime his reply, but then paused at the sight of his broken arm. Well, now **this** was going to be a problem... He stared at the arm for a few moments and then tried to sit up. He immediately fell back down with a pained wince, his good hand going to his stomach.

"No, don't move." Carmen ordered. "You'll tear out your stitches."

Mime Bomb was clearly still woozy from the anesthetic, because his eyes became unfocused again, and he blinked heavily. Everything in front of him seemed foggy, and when he glanced around himself, it looked as if there were white curtains surrounding him on all sides. What had happened? His mind felt heavy, and it was hard to think. The last thing he recalled was being in an ambulance with Black Sheep.

Mime Bomb frowned. Why was he with Black Sheep? Why did every part of his body ache? He couldn't remember. He felt like there was something very important he was forgetting, but his mind was too fuzzy to think. He was exhausted and his thoughts started to become more and more disjointed as he struggled to stay awake. Finally giving in, he allowed his eyes to close, and he fell back into an uneasy sleep, the pain not allowing him to get too comfortable.

Carmen let out a breath of relief. "He's out again."

"Do you think he knows?" Ivy asked, motioning to the white blankets they'd hung up all around them.

"No, I don't think so, but we'll have to be careful what we say from now on because we have no way of knowing what he's overhearing."

Zack nodded. "Gotcha."

They resumed their seats and chatted about this and that, making sure to keep the conversations away from anything important. It was about 40 minutes later, when Mime Bomb shifted again, and raised a hand to his face. Opening his eyes tiredly, he once again saw Carmen hovering over him, and he simply stared at her in confusion. It was then that he remembered everything that had happened. His eyes widened, and he struggled to get up. Where was he? Where was Michael Finnegan? Where were V.I.L.E? Why hadn't he been rescued yet? Carmen held him down as he panicked, and he quickly realized he didn't have the strength to break her hold.

"Calm down." Carmen said firmly. "You're safe now. Calm down."

Mime Bomb took a deep breath and went still, simply staring up at her as she gave him a look of concern. Black Sheep had saved his life from the Finnegans, and she had gotten him to the hospital. He glanced around at the white curtains that surrounded him. Where was he? Was this the hospital? His body wanted him to sleep, but he fought against it, knowing he could still be in danger.

"How are you feeling?" Carmen asked for the second time.

Mime Bomb gave an over-exaggerated look to his broken arm, and then back at Carmen, settling for giving her a thumbs down.

"That bad, huh? I'll get you some painkillers, just a sec." she told him, disappearing out of sight.

Mime Bomb glanced over and saw two red-headed people he didn't recognize, watching him from the crack in the curtain. Now that he was a little more awake than last time, he saw he was laying on what looked like a couch of some sort, and blankets were hung up all around him, not curtains like he'd originally thought. This was not a hospital.

Turning his head slightly, he was startled to see Shadowsan standing directly behind him. He stared up at him with wide eyes, and then gave him a half wave of greeting. He remembered how it had been Shadowsan to carry him out of the building, despite wanting to leave him behind. Shadowsan narrowed his eyes and said nothing in return. Mime Bomb reached up a hand to rub at one of his ears, wondering why it felt like he was on an airplane. The pressure in his ears was painful, and he winced, hoping all the blows to his head hadn't ruptured an eardrum. Carmen came back, saw what he was doing and gave him a reassuring smile.

"You were beat up pretty badly." she told him. "The doctor said your ears will be bothering you for a few hours. These extra strength Acetaminophen should take the edge off the pain."

She held out 2 white pills, and Mime Bomb reached for them, inspecting them closely to make sure they were what she claimed. Popping them into his mouth, he accepted the bottle of water she had placed a bendy straw in, and took a long drink.

"Careful on the water." Carmen cautioned. "Don't want you getting sick. The anesthetic can make you nauseous."

Mime Bomb once again stared at Carmen, this time with a questioning look on his face. He motioned around them, and Carmen shook her head. "Don't worry about that right now. You nearly died this morning, and you need to focus on resting. I'll explain things later."

It was getting harder and harder to fight his body's exhaustion, but he stubbornly kept his eyes open, trying to figure out where Carmen had brought him. His gaze moved to the two redheads who were still watching him from afar. Were these Black Sheep's henchmen?

"Mime Bomb."

Mime Bomb turned a nervous gaze to Shadowsan, who did not look very happy.

"I am only going to tell you this once. Betray the trust Carmen Sandiego has shown you, and I will personally see to it that you regret it for the rest of your life. No second chances, no other warnings. You will do as she says, when she says, and you will not cause us any grief. Is this understood?"

Mime Bomb simply stared up at him with wide eyes.

"Is. This. Understood?" Shadowsan repeated, his tone going dangerous.

Mime Bomb was quick to nod.

"Whoa, tone it down, Shadowsan, you're gonna give the guy a heart attack." Zack said, stepping a bit closer. "Heya, I'm Zack." he said to Mime Bomb.

Mime Bomb gave a half-hearted wave, not really caring who this random person was.

"That's my sister, Ivy." Zack said, pointing over to her. "We're Carmen's friends."

The painkillers were starting to kick in and Mime Bomb relaxed, finally able to stand the pain. He wanted to ask many questions, but with one of his arms broken, communication would be very limited. Carmen must have been able to see his frustration, because she placed a hand on his shoulder, but she misinterpreted what he was frustrated about.

"I know we're now on opposite sides, but I hope we can call a temporary truce considering the situation. I promise you, I will not harm you."

Mime Bomb glared at her. He **was** incredibly thankful she saved him, but she was still the enemy, the one who was probably going to turn him over to the police. He now owed her a favour, but nothing more. He was loyal to V.I.L.E.

"Do you trust me?" Carmen asked.

His answer was an immediate thumbs down.

"I told you this was a bad idea." Shadowsan grumbled.

Carmen nodded at Mime Bomb, ignoring Shadowsan for the moment. "I understand V.I.L.E's opinion of me. They raised me, taught me everything I know, and I betrayed them. I betrayed my friends, my colleagues and my mentors. I understand your mistrust, but haven't I already proven I'm not going to hurt you?"

Mime Bomb looked frustrated, unsure of how to be understood.

"What are you worried about right now?" Carmen asked, hoping she could alleviate some of his stress.

He had no way to mime what he was thinking, and simply grew more frustrated. A Mime with one arm was useless.

"Can we set aside our shticks for a moment?" she asked. "Are you able to speak?"

He pretended he didn't hear her, feeling more and more tired by the minute.

"Ok, ok, no talking." she acknowledged. "Try to mime what you need to ask and I'll answer what I can."

Mime Bomb lifted his one good arm and then frowned uncertainly.

"Show me, and I'll try to understand." Carmen promised him.

Mime bomb stared at his broken arm, and wasn't sure if this would be considered breaking the rules of miming or not but he held up his broken arm, and with his other hand, held out two of his fingers and made a sweeping motion across his wrist.

Carmen frowned, and so he repeated it.

When he saw she didn't understand, he sighed and looked away.

Player's voice suddenly came over the intercom. "That's British Sign Language for police." he supplied. "My granny who lives in Scotland is deaf and I talk to her all the time."

Mime Bomb looked up in surprise. Why was there a child speaking to them over an intercom?!

"Oh!" Carmen said in realization. "Sign language!"

Shadowsan looked annoyed. "You mean to tell me you knew sign language this whole time and you simply chose not to use it?! It would have made your time at the academy a lot easier."

Mime Bomb gave a shrug and looked away again.

"You're worried about being turned over to the police?" Carmen asked.

Mime Bomb gave no indication he heard her.

"I have no choice." Carmen informed him firmly. "I can't watch you constantly, and I know you will tell V.I.L.E everything you learn. For the good of everyone involved, it's best if Interpol takes over your care. They will protect you, and make sure you get the medical help needed."

Mime Bomb still didn't look at her. If he was arrested, he'd be thrown in some secure prison in the middle of nowhere to never see the light of day again. V.I.L.E would wipe his memories, and then he'd have no idea why he was even **in** jail. It would be hell on Earth. Biting his lower lip nervously, he wondered when Interpol was coming for him. Were they already on their way?

"You should rest." Carmen told him, when it was clear he wasn't going to interact with them anymore. "We'll talk more when you're feeling a bit better."

Mime Bomb stared blankly at the back of the couch, trying to figure a way out of this situation. If he could escape before Interpol got their claws on him, V.I.L.E wouldn't have to mindwipe him. He was too injured to even sit up, and he had no idea how he was going to pull off an escape. He would have to bide his time for now, and wait for an opportunity. Now that he was being left alone, Mime Bomb allowed his injured body to give in to the exhaustion, and he fell into a fitful sleep.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**


	5. Te Amo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authornote:
> 
> Wow, I finished this chapter WAY faster than anticipated. I hope you guys enjoy the early update! The next chapter should be up in a couple days. Please note that there will likely be errors occasionally since I do not speak French or Spanish. I will do my best to get it right, however. ^_^
> 
> Please let me know what you think of the fic so far, as I'm always up for any comments or suggestions.
> 
> Happy Reading!

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**The Silence**

Chapter 4: Te Amo

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

El Topo gave a long and lazy stretch, simply watching as Le Chèvre fiddled around with a grappling hook. There was obviously something wrong with it, and he could have offered to help, but he found it much more amusing to watch his partner get frustrated.

"Ugh, what is wrong with this?" Le Chèvre grumbled. "They need to service our equipment more often. This is ridiculous."

El Topo said nothing, giving another long stretch. Le Chèvre tossed the grappling hook aside, and then turned his attention to the rest of their equipment.

"Mi amigo, I still find it very unlikely Carmen Sandiego wants to kill Mime Bomb."

"I agree, she is too soft to ever kill someone." Le Chèvre said, not looking up from packing various items into a duffel bag.

El Topo was confused. "Then why did you tell V.I.L.E-"

"I told them what I needed to in order to protect us." Le Chèvre replied. "They never would have given us a second chance otherwise."

El Topo sat down on the edge of the bed, looking concerned. "What will happen when they find out the truth? Won't that make things even worse for us? I think it would be better to just tell them the truth, that we have no idea what Carmen Sandiego wants with the mime."

"You know, mon ami, you have a good streak in you. You should really work on killing that a little bit."

El Topo laughed.

"In all seriousness though, never **ever** admit to lying. Stick to your story no matter what, and it'll be less disastrous. As long as we succeed in our mission, V.I.L.E won't care about anything else."

"I think we should be very careful returning to Michael Finnegan's office building." El Topo stated. "They've had several breaches now and security will be increased."

"They won't expect Le Chèvre though. I will climb my way up, and get inside without ever being seen."

El Topo violently shook his head. "No, no, no, Jean Paul, you cannot be by yourself in there! It is much too dangerous! We stay together! We must."

"You cannot climb, mon ami." Le Chèvre pointed out, giving his partner a bemused look.

"Then we find another way." El Topo said, stubbornly. "I have a bad feeling."

Le Chèvre took a seat on the bed, deciding to humour him. "Alright, Antonio, and what do you suggest instead?"

El Topo scratched at his head as he thought about it. "We set up a meeting on neutral ground with the Finnegans to discuss the matter between us."

Le Chèvre looked skeptical, but he didn't interrupt as El Topo continued.

"Michael Finnegan believes he was betrayed as well, and I'm certain he would love to get his hands on the person responsible. We dangle Carmen Sandiego over his head with the promise to deliver her to him alive. I'm certain he will cooperate once he finds out V.I.L.E was not responsible for this. Mime Bomb is a traitor, and we will promise to kill him for Mr. Finnegan."

Le Chèvre raised an eyebrow, but still didn't interrupt.

"We can search the office building for any clues, check their security cameras, check the hospital security cameras and maybe even get a bit of help from the Irish Mafia. We can check airports, and trains for any sign of her."

"Did you come up with this plan just now?" Le Chèvre asked, sounding a bit surprised.

"No, I was thinking about it all last night." El Topo admitted. "I was worried."

Le Chèvre gave him a wide smile. "And it's an excellent plan, mon ami. I just have my doubts about the Finnegans cooperating."

"We will persuade them!" El Topo insisted.

Le Chèvre nodded. "Okay, okay, you win. We will try it your way first. I will get in contact with Mr. Finnegan and see what I can do."

"Thank you, mi amigo. It makes me feel a lot better."

"You're going soft, Antonio." Le Chèvre teased, crossing the room. "I'll have to look for a new partner."

El Topo laughed and tossed a pillow at him. "Shut up, Cabrón!"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

True to his word, Le Chèvre got in contract with Michael Finnegan Sr. He explained everything about Mime Bomb's betrayal, about Carmen Sandiego, about the importance of the hard drive, about V.I.L.E's loyalty to the Irish Mafia, and everything else he could think of to persuade him. Michael Sr. seemed cold, and somewhat dismissive as he spoke with them, that was until he was sent a picture of Carmen Sandiego. His expression completely changed when he stared at her image, first in shock, then horror, and finally with absolute fury.

He sat there in complete silence for an uncomfortably long time before he finally turned back to face Le Chèvre.

"I want Carmen Sandiego." he hissed. "You can have the mime, have the hard drive, or anything else you want, but I want that girl brought to me. Alive."

"Of course." Le Chèvre promised, not meaning a single word. "That won't be an issue."

"We will meet in one hour and I'll provide you with the various keycards, passwords and documentation you will need to access my company worldwide."

Le Chèvre couldn't believe this had actually worked. "Not a problem. Where will we meet you?"

Michael Sr. pondered for a moment. "I own a sawmill on the outskirts of Poitiers. I'll message you the address. It's far away from prying eyes, and we'll be able to talk without fear of being overheard. Bring all the information you have on this, and we will do an exchange."

"We'll be there." Le Chèvre promised.

When the screen went blank, Le Chèvre turned to El Topo with a smile. Reaching over, he ruffled the other man's hair. "You Monsieur Mole, are a genius."

"I don't think anyone has ever said that to me in my entire life." El Topo said with a snort of amusement.

Le Chèvre's phone dinged and he glanced down at it seeing the address of the sawmill in a text message. "We have to leave now if we want to make it there in time. Are you ready, mon ami?"

El Topo grabbed his bag, and stood to his feet. "Always." he replied. "Let's go."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

They pulled into the parking lot of the sawmill, seeing no other vehicles in sight. Getting out of the car, they glanced around and then exchanged a confused look.

"Are you certain you read the address correctly?" El Topo demanded.

Le Chèvre gave him a flat look.

"Right...well, we **are** a bit early..." El Topo said, glancing up at the sawmill.

Le Chèvre looked at his watch. "Two minutes early."

"Should we go inside? The door is open."

Le Chèvre's head snapped around to stare at the open door, and his eyes quickly took in every detail of the building, taking note of the recent tire tracks in the dust. "Don't go near that door." he ordered. "I think this is a trap."

"He double-crossed us?" El Topo asked, quickly getting angry.

"This is too suspicious." Le Chèvre told him. "Let's get back in the car and leave. We'll deal with this mission ourselves."

El Topo nodded. "Agreed."

Le Chèvre pulled the car keys out of his pocket and they headed back towards the car. That's when dozens of people stood up on the scaffolding above, guns all trained on the two villains.

"Get down!" El Topo yelled, diving for his partner.

They hit the ground and rolled, landing behind the car just as the torrent of gunfire rained down on them. El Topo tore into the ground with his claws in an instant, pulling Le Chèvre down with him, one of the bullets grazing his shoulder. El Topo could hold his breath for quite a long time as he dug, but he wasn't so sure about Le Chèvre. Humans were not meant to be ground animals, and his tunnels collapsed just as fast as he dug them, only his brute strength pulling him through the dirt like his namesake. He didn't dig far, surfacing where he believed the floor of the sawmill to be. Pulling Le Chèvre out of the hole, his partner spit out a mouthful of dirt, coughing and gasping for breath as he did so.

"Never...never again!" Le Chèvre vowed, glaring in the direction of the hole. "Mon Dieu!"

The gunfire outside ceased, and both men glanced around the old sawmill, trying to figure out a way to survive this.

"You stay low and grab them from below if they come down." Le Chèvre ordered. "I will go up and see how well these men can fly."

Not giving him any chance to argue, Le Chèvre leapt up and began climbing the walls, leaving El Topo below. They made the perfect team of high and low and that's why V.I.L.E had kept them as partners for this long. Men began swarming into the building, and so El Topo dove back underground, waiting to feel when someone was walking above him. He was fast as he attacked, coming out of the earth like a ground-shark, lashing out with his claws and disappearing again before anyone could retaliate.

His brute strength was what set him apart from his colleagues and none during training could match him in a fight. Coach Brunt had been so proud of him at the time that she had rewarded him with the opportunity to fight her. She had absolutely wiped the floor with him, but it was a valuable life experience all the same.

Knowing both their lives depended on it, El Topo slashed and fought viciously, dragging victim after victim under the earth, bullets whizzing past his face every time he surfaced.

Far above in the rafters, Le Chèvre was in his prime, leaping and dodging around attacks, faster than any of the armed men could aim. Swinging down to one of the catwalks, he kicked a man in the gut, and then headbutted another in the face. Leaping over the side of the catwalk as he was shot at, he grabbed a man and tossed him over the railing, catching himself on a lower level as the man sailed past him, screaming to the ground below. Leaping away as gunfire seemed to come from every direction at once, he fled higher up to the protection of the rafters.

He spared a glance in El Topo's direction, saw his partner was doing just fine, and then leapt into action again, counting the men remaining as he climbed to the highest section of the catwalk. Surefooted and quick to judge the distance of his jumps, he headed for a group of three men, running along a thick suspension cable connected to one of the cisterns. He kicked one of the men hard in the face, causing him to fall backwards into his friends, and before any of them could react, Le Chèvre had taken them out.

Narrowing his eyes at the remaining men, he once again took to the high ground.

El Topo tore his way through the dirt, able to feel the people above him with every step they took. He was starting to tire, but pushed himself on, knowing to stop now would mean death. Bursting out of the dirt with a flurry of claws, El Topo took down two men, glanced up at Le Chèvre briefly and then dove down into the dirt once more. There weren't very many enemies left, and El Topo knew this was one battle they were going to win. He could count on Le Chèvre to take down any of the men he couldn't reach, and he knew Le Chèvre trusted him to do the same on the ground.

His arms absolutely aching at the exertion, El Topo surfaced underneath another two men, yanking them underground as they cried out in surprise. He suddenly heard the sound of a helicopter above, and gave a quick glance up, just in time to see it land in the parking lot outside. A bullet grazed his cheek from a shot above, and El Topo dove into the safety of the ground, knowing the helicopter meant bad news.

Le Chèvre kicked the man who had shot at El Topo harder than was necessary, and then leapt after a man who turned to run. Hearing the helicopter, he narrowed his eyes at it, but knew he had to concentrate on the situation at hand.

El Topo took out the last man on the ground, and looked up to his partner, panting hard from exhaustion. He watched as Le Chèvre threw someone over a railing, and he couldn't help but smile. Le Chèvre caught his eye, smirked and then made a show of kicking two different men at once. When the final man was down for the count, Le Chèvre sat down on one of the rafters to catch his breath for a moment, his gaze going to the helicopter.

"You okay, mon ami?" he called down.

"Si." El Topo called back, still breathing hard. "You?"

"Barely even a challenge." Le Chèvre responded, sticking his nose into the air snootily.

El Topo laughed. "You are full of it, mi amigo."

"That was quite the show gentlemen."

Both villains were startled and tuned to see Michael Finnegan himself standing in the doorway.

"It seems that V.I.L.E really knows how to pick their thieves. I wasn't expecting to still find you alive."

Both villains readied themselves to fight but Mr. Finnegan waved them off. "I'm not here to fight you. Not any more."

"You tried to kill us." El Topo snarled, cracking his knuckles as he got to his feet.

"Yes, but to be honest, I'm now reconsidering that. Perhaps you **will** be of use to me after all." Mr. Finnegan said, giving them a considering look. "Your conversation with me was not without merit, but at the time I was still angry with V.I.L.E. Perhaps I over-reacted a bit, but you **were** the two goons who attacked my son yesterday."

Le Chèvre crossed his arms unapologetically.

"I want you to bring me Carmen Sandiego." Mr. Finnegan ordered. "She crossed a line yesterday, and it won't be something I'll forgive."

"And what makes you think we want anything to do with you now?" Le Chèvre demanded.

"It's all rather simple." Mr. Finnegan explained. "You have no choice."

It was then that dozens of armed men swarmed out from where they were hiding and seized El Topo before he could dive underground.

"Although, I suppose, I only really need **one** of you for this..." Mr. Finnegan stated, drawing a gun.

"Antonio!" Le Chèvre cried, leaping out of the rafters, terror in his eyes. "No!"

It was then that Michael Finnegan shifted his aim upwards and pulled the trigger.

El Topo let out an inhuman screech as Le Chèvre hit the ground hard, and he struggled violently to get away. Le Chèvre was not moving, and El Topo screamed and fought, his gaze never leaving his partner. There was a growing puddle of red beneath Le Chèvre, and El Topo screamed in despair, unable to do anything to help. Screaming every curse he could think of at Michael Finnegan, El Topo fell to his knees, staring his his partner, begging him to get up, begging him to just open his eyes. Le Chèvre did not move.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no."

"That could have just as easily been you." Mr. Finnegan pointed out. "I will be in touch with your orders."

A searing pain exploded in the back of El Topo's skull, and he fell forward, his world going black.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

El Topo let out a low groan, raising a hand to the lump on the back of his head. Rolling over onto his back, he slowly opened his eyes, and winced at the pain. He then shot straight to his feet in a panic, his eyes wild with fear.

"Jean Paul!"

He looked around and saw that the entire area was empty. There were no bodies, no shell casings, and no Le Chèvre. The only thing that remained was a single red stain, obviously left there for his benefit.

El Topo stared at that stain and felt completely numb. He had no idea what to do, and reached into his pocket to pull out his phone. Almost by reflex he started to dial Le Chèvre's number but then stopped and slowly backspaced with shaking fingers. There was only one other person he could call, one friend left in his life. His hands shaking even worse than before, he lifted the phone to his ear as the call dialed. It rang and rang and rang before it was finally answered.

"Look, lunkhead, I'm a little busy at the moment. What do you want?"

El Topo swallowed heavily. "Tigress?" he questioned.

"Yeah, you called **me**, brainiac! What do you want? I'm on a job!"

"Le Chèvre..." he began, his voice cracking. "Tigress, Le Chèvre..."

Tigress went silent for a moment. "Antonio, what's going on?" she asked, her tone completely changing. "What about Le Chèvre?"

Unable to say the words, El Topo couldn't stop the sob that escaped him.

Now Tigress sounded concerned. "Antonio, tell me what happened! What happened to Le Chèvre?"

"He...he's gone, Sheena. Dios mío, he's **gone**!"

Again, Tigress went silent. "Where are you?" she demanded.

El Topo couldn't answer, fighting as hard as he could to keep it together.

"I'm showing you're in Poitiers." Tigress said. "I'm coming, stay where you are. Don't do anything stupid, I'll be there in two hours."

El Topo dropped the phone to the ground without hanging it up and once again stared at the red stain in front of him. Dropping to his knees, he reached out a hand, placing it where Le Chèvre had laid. His hand came back red, and El Topo couldn't stop the tears. He clawed at the stain, feeling a heavy pain in his chest, fighting not to break down.

"Lo Siento, mi amigo." he whispered. "I'm so sorry."

His mind still felt completely numb, and he was still sitting in the exact same spot when Tigress showed up in a helicopter two hours later. When she saw him simply sitting there beside the puddle of blood, she ran to him, and knelt down beside him. Pulling his hands away from the blood, she stared into his eyes, not having to ask what happened.

"Who did this, Antonio?" she asked gently, putting an arm around his shoulders. "Just tell me who."

Guilt washed over El Topo like a wave, and he pretty much collapsed into Tigress, unable to control his sobs. Tigress was the self-proclaimed ice-queen of their year, and although she loved to act haughty and dismissive, she really did care about her friends. She sat with him in silence, glancing around the sawmill, seeing clear signs of a fight. Who would have done this, and why were El Topo and Le Chèvre in such a remote location?

"Hey, lug-head, come on, you gotta tell me who did this. I'm going to claw their eyes out for you, I promise."

"It's my fault." El Topo whispered, his words barely audible. "All of this is my fault."

"What are you talking about?" Tigress said, dismissively. "Of course it's not."

El Topo took a shuddering breath, and shook his head. "No, I talked him into using **my** plan and it was a trap. If we had've just used **his** plan, we'd all be fine."

"It's not your fault." Tigress said firmly. "You had no way of knowing this was going to happen."

El Topo slammed a hand to his head angrily. "Stupid, stupid, stupid, why did I think I was ever capable of coming up with a plan?"

Tigress caught his hand before he could hit himself again. "Antonio, this is not your fault. This is the fault of the person who do this. Tell me his name."

El Topo looked at her with such agony in his eyes that Tigress threw her arms around him again.

"Come on." she whispered. "Get on the helicopter with me. We need to get out of here."

"They took his body, Sheena!" Antonio cried. "They left me with nothing!"

Tigress got to her feet, and with great difficulty, she tugged him up as well. "Come on." she urged. "We'll get revenge, but for now, we need to go. It's not safe here."

Having no fight left in him, El Topo allowed Tigress to pull him towards the waiting helicopter. Once they were inside and in the air, Tigress looked at her last friend, knowing she had to remain strong for him.

"We will kill the people who did this." she vowed. "We'll make them suffer like no one ever has before."

El Topo couldn't even answer her, eyes on the floor. What kind of life was left for him? Le Chèvre and he were air and earth, two halves of a whole. How could half a person ever continue living on their own? El Topo pulled at his hair and squeezed his eyes closed. Tigress reached over and laid a hand on his knee.

It was then that El Topo's cellphone rang. Almost by reflex, he answered it, not even looking to see who it was.

"Qué." he said rudely into the phone.

"Antonio, you are alright!"

El Topo nearly dropped the phone in shock, hands fumbling to catch it before it hit the floor. "Jean Paul?!" he cried into the phone. "Jean Paul?"

"Yes, mon ami."

"You are alive?! I saw you get shot!" El Topo cried out. "I thought they killed you!"

"I'll be fine, Antonio. They removed the bullet, and other than the scar, I'll be fine."

"Where are you?" El Topo demanded. "We're coming to get you! Sheena's with me. Just tell us where!"

"No, mon ami, you can't come for me. They're holding me captive, and I don't know where. They've disabled the tracker in my phone."

"No, I'm coming for you!" El Topo insisted. "No matter where you are, I'll be there to get you!"

There was a fumbling on the other side of the phone and then Michael Finnegan's voice came through.

"Your partner stays with me until I get Carmen Sandiego. We've patched him up for now, but the longer you take, the sooner we start torturing him. If you refuse to obey, I will shoot him in the head right now, do you understand?"

El Topo was furious. "Yes." he replied. "I will retrieve Carmen Sandiego for you. Do not harm Le Chèvre."

"Good." Mr. Finnegan replied, sounding pleased. "And here people say you're the dumb one. I will text you an address where you can pick up your equipment. I suggest you be punctual."

"I want to speak with Jean Paul again." El Topo ordered. "Put him on the phone."

"I will allow you to say your last goodbyes, but you only have one minute before the call disconnects."

There was another fumbling sound and then Le Chèvre was back on the line.

"Please be careful, mon ami. It's much too dangerous. Leave me and be safe. Do not try to rescue me."

"I'm not leaving you!" El Topo cried. "Don't even ask it, because I will **never** stop coming for you. Even if it kills me, I **will** rescue you."

"That's what I'm afraid of." Le Chèvre answered, sounding upset.

"This is all my fault. It was my plan, and the bullet was meant for me!" El Topo protested. "I will make this right!"

"This is not your fault, mon ami, it's mine for not thinking before taking that jump. I would still do it again if given the choice. I will always take the bullet for you."

"Tick tock, gentlemen." came Mr. Finnegan's voice in the background.

"I have to go, Antonio. Please, please be safe!"

El Topo swallowed the lump in his throat. "Jean Paul?"

"Yes, mon ami?"

"Te amo."

There was a long silence on the other end of the line. The silence felt absolutely crushing, and El Topo instantly regretted his words. Le Chèvre probably only thought of him as a friend and now he had ruined everything. El Topo clenched his hands into fists, the silence more painful than anything he could have imagined. After several very long seconds, there was finally a reply.

"Je t'aime, Antonio."

It was then that the call disconnected.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**(Gets ready to dodge the torrent of flames coming my way)**


	6. Headquarters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authornote:
> 
> I meant to post this chapter last night, but I didn't really like it, and wasn't sure whether to post it. I'm not sure if anyone is still reading this story or not, but I'm now halfway done. Only 6 chapters to go (unless I get carried away).
> 
> If you're enjoying the story so far, please let me know your thoughts. I'm open to all suggestions and criticisms as it helps me improve the story.
> 
> Happy Reading!

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**The Silence**

Chapter 6: Headquarters

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

It was the pain that woke Mime Bomb, and he shifted slightly, the movement causing waves of agony as it stretched his stitches. Clutching at his stomach, he went still and winced, waiting for the pain to pass. When it became a little more tolerable, he took a deep breath and opened his eyes. Glancing around himself, he saw Zack was sitting beside him, sound asleep and holding a half-eaten hoagie in his hands. He could hear voices beyond the blanket walls, but all of his attention was on the sandwich. Michael Jr hadn't bothered feeding him during his three days in captivity, and Mime Bomb was hungrier than he'd ever been in his entire life. The hunger gnawed at him, the pain of it worse than even his stitches. Not caring that it was already half-eaten, he reached for the food, stretching his arm out as far as he could, but it was just out of his reach. Wincing in pain, he lifted himself up to his elbows so he could reach out a bit further. His fingers brushed the edge of the sandwich, almost close enough to grab it. Shifting his whole body a little closer to the edge of the couch, he once again reached out for the food.

"Erm, Zack?" Came Players voice just as Mime Bomb closed his fingers on the food.

The moment he snatched the sandwich, Zack woke with a start, and flailed around, not sure what was happening. His gaze quickly went to Mime Bomb and his expression became outraged.

"You stole my sandwich!" he bellowed.

Clutching the sandwich protectively as everyone rushed over to see what was going on, Mime Bomb began wolfing it down as fast as he could in case someone tried to take it from him. Zack's expression morphed from anger to pity in an instant, realizing the villain was obviously much hungrier than he was.

"Er...you can keep it." he said, glancing over at Carmen helplessly.

Carmen was frowning in concern, and she whispered to them. "I don't think Michael Finnegan bothered feeding him during those three days...He's starving!"

Zack's expression turned horrified, food being one thing he was extremely passionate about. He watched as the sandwich was pretty much inhaled, and wished he had a whole pile of sandwiches he could offer.

"Don't worry about it." he told the villain. "I can always replace it later..."

Crumpling up the empty wrapper, Mime Bomb froze when he looked up and saw Shadowsan approaching him. His former teacher looked furious, and when he reached towards him, Mime Bomb flinched, expecting to be struck. He definitely wasn't expecting a second sandwich to be pressed into his hand. When he hesitantly looked up, Shadowsan gave him a nod.

"Go on." he said. "We will not starve you here. Have as much as you want. No one will take it from you."

Shadowsan's tone was a little less gruff than usual, and he turned furious eyes to Carmen. "Michael Finnegan is a wretched man." he commented. "I have never believed in starvation as a punishment, or for any other reason."

Keeping a wary eye on Shadowsan, Mime Bomb took a bite of the sandwich, the hunger finally beginning to lessen.

"You're looking a bit better." Carmen told him, taking a seat on the couch near his feet. "Do you need another dose of painkillers?"

Mime Bomb gave her a nod as he took another bite of food.

Already anticipating this, Carmen took the bottle out of her pocket and poured a couple out into her hand. Placing them on the table next to his water from earlier, she gave him a sad smile. "You should start feeling better in a few days." she told him. "For now, you just need to get as much rest as possible."

Mime Bomb still wasn't certain why Carmen was being so nice to him. If their situations were reversed, he honestly doubted he would have saved her. His own sense of self-preservation wouldn't have allowed it. He knew that made him selfish, but after the life he'd had, he would always put his own needs above other's.

Once he was finished the sandwich, he took the two pills left out for him, and then looked up at Carmen, a bit embarrassed by his display of gluttony. Holding himself up on his elbows was starting to hurt, and so he slowly lowered himself back down into a more comfortable position.

He gave Carmen a questioning look, and pointed at himself. Carmen was quick to get his meaning, but she hesitated.

"Carm, I don't think this is a good idea." Ivy whispered a bit too loudly. "I really don't trust him."

Mime Bomb flashed her a glare, but Carmen nodded at her.

"Sorry, but the explanation will still have to wait until later. Once we move to a safer location, I'll tell you what's going on." Carmen promised. "For now, just concentrate on resting as much as possible."

Mime Bomb's glare intensified.

"Ivy, it's your turn to babysit." Zack informed her, getting up with a stretch.

Mime Bomb made a face at that, and Carmen gave him a kind smile.

"You lost a lot of blood this morning, and you should sleep a bit more to regain your strength." Carmen told him. "If you need anything, just let Ivy know."

Ivy looked a little put out but she took the seat Zack vacated without complaint, and pulled out her phone. The others disappeared beyond the wall of blankets and Mime Bomb suspected they were working on some sort of plan. His gaze settled on Ivy's phone and he wondered how he could get his hands on it without anyone noticing. He'd be able to contact V.I.L.E and they'd be able to arrange his rescue. He wouldn't be surprised if V.I.L.E thought he was dead by now.

Ivy was playing a loud game involving gunfire and explosions, and she never even glanced at him. Knowing he couldn't just snatch the phone out of her hands, he knew he had to be patient. He'd have to wait until she set it down or placed it into her pocket.

"Hey Mime Bomb, I was just wondering, how does someone become a mime?" Player suddenly asked. "Is there a school for that or something?"

Mime Bomb squinted up in the direction of the ceiling, still having no clue who this child was.

"I live in Canada and I don't think we have mimes here...at least none that I've ever seen." Player said. "I was just wondering if you'd tell me a little bit about it?"

Mime Bomb didn't want to talk to him, and gave him a half-hearted sign in reply.

"Secret?" Player repeated uncertainly. "Did I see that right? It's a secret?"

Mime Bomb rolled his eyes and glanced back over to Ivy, ignoring all other questions from Player. After a few minutes, the boy gave up and stopped talking to him.

He'd had no idea just how long Ivy could stare at her phone, and an hour later, she was still playing the same game. The repetitive sounds of the game were annoying, but nothing he couldn't ignore. He'd shared a dorm room with Crackle after all and no one was more loud and annoying than him. Crackle's bed was next to his own in the dorm, and the other boy was **always** talking, even in his sleep. When he wasn't talking, he was humming, or just being all around irritating. There was never an ounce of quietness, but it was never done on purpose. It was just Crackle's personality, and so he'd put up with it without complaint. To be honest, he'd actually rather liked him, even though Crackle was mean to him occasionally. All his roommates had enjoyed making fun of him as if he couldn't hear them, and he almost wondered if they'd assumed he was deaf.

Without even realizing it, he drifted off into a light doze, the sounds of the game still filling his mind.

The screams and gunfire from the game began to shape his dreams, and Mime Bomb began dreaming of Michael Finnegan Jr. He was back in the custodial room, his back to a corner as Michael Jr. slowly began approaching him, switchblade in hand. His arms and legs were bound, and his whole body ached from the repeated kicks the other man had given him. Michael Jr knelt down in front of him, his expression cocky and cruel as he reached down and grabbed a handful of Mime Bomb's hair, yanking his head back to expose his throat.

"**_I'm going to make you scream, freak_**." he whispered into his face.

Mime Bomb could only stare up at him in fear, completely at the other man's mercy. No, not a man. He didn't see a man in front of him, no, he saw a monster, and he found himself closing his eyes as the knife made the first cut. Pain and fear and desperation filled him as he relived the absolute hell Michael Jr caused. The monster was a constant presence near him, his cruel and sneering face always just inches from his own. The smell of rum and cigarettes was stale on the monster's breath, and Mime Bomb hated the smell of it, the smell reminding him how close the monster always was.

Ivy glanced up from her game when she saw a movement. Mime Bomb was shaking, his whole body trembling uncontrollably in his sleep, and she frowned, wondering if he was cold. Just when she was reaching out to cover him with a blanket, his eyes shot open, and he began gasping for breath, his panic only increasing as he didn't recognize where he was. Mime Bomb covered his head with his arms as if to protect himself, and his whole body was shaking in fear.

"Guys!" Ivy called out, not knowing what to do. "C'mere! Quick!"

Every horrible torture he was put through still flashed through Mime Bomb's mind, and his breath began to quicken even more. Everyone rushed over to where they were, and when they saw Mime Bomb, Zack was the first one to jump into action.

"Whoa, whoa, calm down, buddy." Zack said, shooting the others a concerned look. He reached out to place a hand on Mime Bomb's shoulder, but the mime jerked away from him so violently, he nearly fell off the couch. Mime Bomb then felt an explosion of agony in his stomach unlike anything he could imagine, and he clutched at his stomach, his eyes screwing closed from the pain. The pain only made his hysteria worse, and he fought and kicked with all his strength, trying to get away. Zack once again tried to help, but Mime Bomb panicked further, trying to defend himself against him. Carmen and Ivy hurried to help hold him down, and Mime Bomb lashed out, narrowly missing Carmen's face. He struggled against the hands he felt touching him which only increased the pain, and he felt tears make their way down his face, as he silently sobbed in terror.

Both Carmen, Ivy and Zack struggled to hold him down, and they could clearly see the growing spot of blood soaking through the front of Mime Bomb's hospital gown. He didn't hear anything they said to him, and it was Shadowsan who took action to stop the panic attack. He pulled something out of his pocket, approached and forced Mime Bomb's mouth open. They saw him break open a couple capsules, and then he poured the contents into Mime Bomb's mouth. Holding his chin tightly to ensure he couldn't spit it out, Shadowsan waited, and within seconds the struggles became weaker and weaker. When the villain finally went limp, Shadowsan released him, and then frowned at Carmen.

"I would suggest not bringing up his time at the Finnegan building. I believe that's what his nightmare was about."

"I don't think he knew where he was." Player said, coming across the speakers. "He must have thought you guys were hurting him."

"What **was** that?" Zack demanded, pointing at the empty capsules in Shadowsan's hand.

"I acquired some sedatives from the hospital to use in case he caused us any problems."

"You stole pills from a hospital?" Carmen demanded, not looking impressed.

"It was necessary."

"Is it really okay to sedate him again so soon?" Player cut in, sounding worried.

"He'll be fine." Shadowsan said dismissively. "The sedatives will keep him still so he has a chance to heal."

"He's really **not** okay." Ivy commented. "He didn't even recognize us!"

"When people are traumatized very badly, it can cause episodes like this." Shadowsan explained. "It will get better in time."

"I've read about that." Player commented. "It's called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, right?"

"That's correct." Shadowsan replied. "This disorder requires time and patience. Interpol will probably send him to a specialist."

Carmen felt terrible for Mime Bomb, and wished there was something she could do to help.

"He has torn his stitches." Shadowsan commented with a sigh. "I will need the medical kit to fix this."

Ivy ran to fetch it from the front of the plane, and Shadowsan frowned down at the villain, an unreadable expression on his face. It was impossible not to feel pity for the mime right now, and for the first time, he wondered what was going to become of him. It was V.I.L.E who had made him a villain, and Shadowsan knew he too was to blame for this situation. He had recruited Mime Bomb and led him into this life.

"Zack, I will require your assistance." he said as Ivy returned with the bag. "Help me strip him down so i can deal with those stitches."

The girls exchanged a look and then quickly fled to the other side of the plane to give Shadowsan room to work.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Carmen figured the sedatives must have been pretty strong because Shadowsan was able to repair the stitches and then wrap Mime Bomb's stomach and chest in several layers of bandages without the villain even stirring. The bandages were wrapped tightly in an attempt to help protect the stitches from ripping a second time, and Zack lent him clothes since the hospital gown was now ruined. Mime Bomb absolutely swam in the baggy clothes, but they had nothing else to give him.

When the plane landed an hour later, Mime Bomb was still fast asleep, having no idea they were now on a completely different continent.

"A car is waiting for you near the plane." Player told them.

Carmen tied a blindfold around Mime Bomb's eyes just in case he woke, and then Shadowsan very, **very** carefully lifted him up off the couch. Although he was the oldest out of them all, he was also the strongest and Shadowsan didn't have a problem carrying Mime Bomb out of the jet and into the car waiting nearby.

Zack was ecstatic about being back in San Diego, and he jumped into the driver's seat, ready to peel out of the airport as soon as everyone was in.

"We should go through a drive-thru." he suggested.

"I do not think that wise." Shadowsan replied, buckling Mime Bomb's seatbelt. "We need to get him to a more secure location."

"Aw, come on." Zack whined. "El Mime-o here swiped my lunch and I'm starving. It'll only take a minute."

Shadowsan grumbled something to himself, but made no other protest. Taking that as permission, Zack turned into the first drive-thru he passed and ordered fifteen burgers. At Carmen's flabbergasted look, he shot her a grin. "Loading up just in case we get trapped at base for a while."

As they were waiting for the food, Mime Bomb shifted slightly, and Shadowsan quickly checked him.

"The sedatives are starting to wear off." he pointed out. "He could wake up at any time."

"We should get back to base before he does." Carmen said, shooting Mime Bomb a frown. "We don't want him guessing where he is."

"At Burger King?" Zack asked, crinkling his brow.

Carmen was about to respond to that when the fast food worker returned with a massive bag. Zack accepted the bag, and then they were heading for home. Just as they pulled into the garage, Mime Bomb shifted again, and they realized he was beginning to wake. Shadowsan carried him inside, and under Carmen's instruction, carried him to Zack's Room. Pulling aside the blankets on the bed, he laid Mime Bomb down and removed the blindfold. They were glad he still wasn't awake, and arranged him so he'd be comfortable, and covered him with the blankets. Mime Bomb crinkled his brow in his sleep, but otherwise didn't react to their manhandling.

"Don't forget it's your turn for laundry duty." Ivy told her brother. "There's already a massive pile in the bathroom and whatever is in our suitcases as well."

Zack groaned. "Ugh, fine, just put your suitcases in the bathroom and I'll deal with it later. I wanna eat my burger while it's still hot."

"You can have first babysitting duty then." Ivy replied. "Just make sure he doesn't go anywhere."

"Yeah yeah, I'm so sure he feels up to a footrace right now." Zack mumbled. "And where am I supposed to sleep, if he's in my bed?"

Ivy flashed him a shit-eating grin. "Well, how much do you like Mime Bomb?"

Zack rolled his eyes. "Not nearly **that** much." he replied.

"We'll drag in the spare bed from the other room." Carmen suggested. "If someone is with him at all times, he's less likely to get away with anything."

"Why can't he room with Shadowsan?" Zack demanded. "I have seniority!"

"I am not sharing my personal chambers with children." Shadowsan replied. "It's the one place I can relax."

"He looks the same age as us." Zack pointed out indignantly. "At what age do you consider someone an adult?"

"When they stop acting like children." Shadowsan stated, giving both Zack and Ivy a meaningful look.

"Well, look at it this way, Zack. If you're babysitting, you get to stay in here all day and do nothing. No work, no driving us around, just lots of relaxing time." Carmen stated. "Didn't you say you had a brand new video game you've been wanting to play?"

"Okay, I'm fine with this." Zack quickly replied. "I'll babysit the supervillain while you guys do boring research or whatever. At least I know he'll be a quiet roommate..."

"Great, it's settled." Carmen said with a wide smile. "We'll drag the other bed in for you."

As everyone left the room, Zack glanced between Mime Bomb and the door. Why did he feel like he'd been tricked into something?

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Over the next couple hours, Mime Bomb drifted in and out of sleep a few times, but was too drowsy to even attempt to get up. When the sedatives finally wore off, he felt a little more awake, and shifted in the bed, immediately noting the change of location. He appeared to be in a bedroom of some sort, and the red-headed boy was sitting nearby very enthusiastically playing on a ps4. He watched him for a few minutes, and then very carefully attempted to sit up. Falling back down in agony, he rubbed at his chest, and saw he'd gained Zack's attention. Zack was almost instantly in his face holding out a hamburger.

"You hungry?" he asked. "I got lots."

Mime Bomb pushed aside the burger, and took another glance around. Was this Carmen Sandiego's base? Was her base in Poitiers? If he could only get a hold of V.I.L.E somehow, they'd be able to bring down her whole operation. He'd be hailed as a hero.

"Do you need anything?" Zack asked. "If you want food, just let me know."

Knowing he needed help to get up, Mime Bomb held out one hand and signed something.

"Oh...er, I don't know sign language." Zack said apologetically. "Can't you just tell me?"

Mime Bomb glared at him, and then did his best to mime getting up. Zack immediately shook his head.

"Sorry, man, you shouldn't get up. You already ripped your stitches once."

Clearly annoyed, Mime Bomb repeated the sign, this time more forcefully.

"I really don't know what you want."

When Mime Bomb glared at him, Zack realized he probably needed help dealing with this.

"Player?" he asked, pressing his com.

"Yeah, Zack?"

"Could you check the cameras and tell me what Mime Bomb's trying to say?"

"Sure thing, just get him to repeat it."

Zack turned back to Mime Bomb. "Player's watching and he knows sign language. Can you repeat what you just said?"

Mime Bomb did so in annoyance.

"He said he needs the bathroom." Player responded.

"Oh." Zack answered, and then his eyes widened. "Oh! The bathroom, right of course...er, just a sec."

Zack carefully helped him sit up, and when it seemed like the stitches were fine, he lifted Mime Bomb to his feet, supporting most of the villain's weight. Taking very small steps, he helped him walk across the hall to the bathroom where Mime Bomb separated himself from Zack, holding onto the sink to support himself.

"Are you going to be okay?" Zack asked worriedly. "You're not going to fall, are you?"

Mime Bomb waved him out of the room impatiently, and as Zack closed the door, he said "I'll be back in five minutes to check on you."

Zack headed for the kitchen to grab himself a pepsi, and as he cracked it open, he stopped in the doorway to the workroom to watch the others. They were all huddled around a computer screen, and so he approached, curious.

"What did you find?" he asked.

"Player has discovered that the Finnegans used to be with V.I.L.E, but they branched off about twenty years ago. There may be ties with Russia as well, but these guys cover their trails really well, and I haven't been able to find out much about them. The Finnegans aren't nearly as adept as their shady partners. They are into some seriously evil stuff. They have dozens of different charities that are all covers in order to funnel funds from country to country. Last year they closed 3 orphanages in in the Middle East when they had raised millions to go to those same orphans."

"Stealing from orphans? Could these guys be **any** more stereotypically evil?" Ivy grumbled. "What's next, puppy fur coats and kitten burgers?"

"Are we gonna take them down?" Zack asked, taking a long drink.

"To harm someone like Michael Finnegan, we'll need to hit him where it hurts." Shadowsan stated.

"I got hit there once too, it's not pleasant." Zack agreed with a nod. "I was walking funny for a week."

"No brainiac, **money**, we take his money!" Ivy scolded.

"Oh, that makes more sense than what I was thinking."

"Player, do you think you're able to locate all of the Finnegan bank accounts?" Carmen asked.

"It'll take some time, but I should be able to trace them."

"Good." Carmen said with a determined look. "We can drain him all at once if we play this right."

"Too bad we couldn't give them a few punches while we're at it." Zack commented. "A good one-two right to the throat!"

"Zack." Shadowsan said, his tone going scolding. "You're supposed to be waiting in the bedroom in case Mime Bomb wakes up."

"Oh, he's already awake." Zack replied dismissively.

Everyone turned to look at him with wide eyes.

"Relax, he's in the bathroom."

"You left him there by himself?!" Shadowsan demanded.

"Well, I wasn't gonna stand there and watch the guy pee!" Zack answered defensively.

Without a single word, Shadowsan ran for the bathroom, certain he was going to find the mime long gone. When he threw open the door, he definitely wasn't expecting the sight before him. Mime Bomb was sitting on the edge of the bathtub, Carmen's makeup bag open and in the process of applying the finishing touches of his black and white mime makeup. He had dug through all of their suitcases, the contents spread on the floor, and stolen a black and white striped shirt and a black pair of pants. Having no idea how he even managed to dress himself in his condition, Shadowsan stared for a moment in silence. The others filed into the room after him, everyone staring at Mime Bomb in the same fashion.

"Hey, that's my shirt!" Ivy yelled, finding her voice first.

"And those are my pants!" Zack protested.

Carmen and Mime Bomb made eye contact, and she could clearly see the nervousness in his eyes. He was afraid they were going to make him remove his costume. Carmen frowned, unsure whether she should be concerned about this or not. Was he using the mime costume as a way to hide his insecurities? Did his own face make him uncomfortable or was it something else? Professor Maelstrom had drilled psychology into them during training, and she remembered how he had been positively delighted to keep pulling Mime Bomb aside for private discussions. She knew he was probably analyzing the mime, trying to find out the reasons for the silence. She wondered briefly if he ever found the answer.

Mime Bomb crossed his arms over his chest to protect the shirt, and he averted his gaze away from them.

"Let's get you back to your room." Shadowsan said, not mentioning any of the odd behaviour. To Mime Bomb's complete embarrassment, Shadowsan scooped him up into his arms like a child, and crossed the hallway back to the bedroom. He was placed back into the bed, and he glanced up to see Ivy still glaring at him.

"I just bought that shirt." she said in annoyance. "Get it dirty and I'll make you eat it!"

"Easy, Ivy, it's just a shirt." Carmen said. "You have dozens of others."

Ivy knew she had a point, but still didn't like the fact the villain was stealing from them.

Mime Bomb was incredibly thin, and despite wearing a girl's shirt, it was still too big. It made him feel a bit better though, and he glared at Ivy, daring her to take it. She glared right back, but didn't say anything, instead turning to her brother.

"Don't leave the creepy mime to roam the house!" she scolded. "I don't want him lurking around corners!"

Ivy didn't know what it was about Mime Bomb that creeped her out, but she didn't trust him at all. Someone who dresses up as a mime and who never talks obviously had a few screws loose.

"I have to agree with Ivy." Shadowsan stated. "Do **not** leave him by himself again."

Zack looked put out and rolled his eyes as he plunked himself down on his bed. "Yeah, yeah."

"I'm gonna go make sure he didn't swipe anything else." Ivy said, heading out of the room.

Carmen gave Mime Bomb a gentle smile. "How are your stitches feeling? You ripped them out and Shadowsan had to suture your stomach back up."

Mime Bomb had been wondering about that, the bandages were something new, and the pain was actually almost tolerable. He glanced up at Shadowsan who was still looking annoyed. Mime Bomb offered him a thankful smile, but Shadowsan simply looked even more annoyed. He looked Mime Bomb up and down, and then rolled his eyes.

"There is something very, **very** wrong with you, but I have neither the time nor the inclination to determine what."

Shadowsan then left the room without another word.

"If it makes you feel better to be a mime, then be a mime." Carmen told him. "I'll go get you a couple more painkillers. Be right back."

Zack picked up his ps4 controller and then paused. Tossing the second controller over to Mime Bomb, he said. "You can join my raid if you want. It'll be more fun to play than to watch."

The tv suddenly bellowed out. "**Multiplayer mode selected!**"

Leaning back against the pillows, Mime Bomb stared at the tv screen for a moment, and then picked up the controller, wondering how Zack expected him to play one-handed. Not really wanting to play, but having nothing better to do, he hit the ps button.

"**New Player added!**"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**


	7. Finding Carmen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authornote:
> 
> I just found out there were Carmen Sandiego books and it gives additional details that the show didn't. Ever wonder why Mime Bomb wasn't sent on the first mission with the other newbs? Apparently they cut him out of the mission because they didn't think he'd be very useful. He was so disappointed over this that Carmen Sandiego found him crying in the hallway. She asked Crackle why Mime Bomb was so upset and he replied something like "Not every mission requires a mime." and then they both laughed. Mime Bomb was right there within hearing distance. This seriously annoyed me. Carmen knew how disappointed she was over being excluded, but then laughed at Mime Bomb! No wonder he tattled on her afterwards! Arg. All this is canon!
> 
> If you're enjoying the story so far, please let me know your thoughts. I'm open to all suggestions and criticisms as it helps me improve the story.
> 
> Happy Reading!

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**The Silence**

Chapter 7: Finding Carmen

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

A tall thin man, wearing a white lab coat let out a yell for help, and ran as fast as he could down the alley. His attacker followed close behind, and was quickly gaining ground. Breathing hard, the man kicked over a trashcan just as the person reached for him, and they tripped hard, falling onto the concrete awkwardly. Knowing this was his only chance to get away, he ran even harder, sweating profusely and breathing in ragged gasps. If he could only get to one of the main streets where there were witnesses, he was sure he'd be safe. That thought was quickly crushed, however, when the ground beneath him seemed to explode, and he felt a hand close around his throat.

El Topo slammed his victim into the ground, and then held his claws to the man's throat. "Last chance." he snarled. "Lie to me again, and I'm going to see how deep I can bury you."

"I-I swear!" The man protested. "I have no idea who Carmen Sandiego is! I only performed the surgery on her brother, and I don't know anything about this!"

Tigress turned the corner, looking furious, her chin bleeding and she glared at the man.

"He tripped me." she snapped. "I'm going to break his nose!"

"You saw her, spoke to her, and you're trying to claim the hospital didn't investigate the disappearance of a patient she took?" El Topo said, his expression not to be trifled with.

"I already told you this!" the doctor protested. "Patients can check themselves out at any time! Although not recommended, it's not breaking any laws!"

"Even though they did not pay their hospital bill?" El Topo asked, his grip tightening. "A surgery like that must have been very expensive..."

"They paid their bill!" the doctor insisted.

Tigress and El Topo were not expecting this.

"What?" Tigress demanded. "How?"

"The hospital received a wire transfer for the full amount!"

"You don't say..." Tigress said, grinning.

"I want to see the security footage and the details of the transfer." El Topo demanded.

"Er...but patient confidentiality..."

El Topo pressed his claws to the man's jugular.

"But I guess I can make an exception just for you! I'll get it for you right away!"

"You will get it, and you will email us the information within an hour, or we will be paying your family a visit at home, are we clear?" El Topo snarled.

"Yes, yes, very clear!" the doctor said.

"Tigress, give him the email address."

Not used to being bossed around, she gave him a withering look, but approached all the same. Pulling a pen out the doctor's front pocket, she rolled up his sleeve and wrote down the email address.

"You call the police or tell anyone about this, it will be the last thing you do." she hissed, tossing the pen aside.

The doctor gave a quick nod, and El Topo finally released him. Not wasting any time, the doctor scrambled up and then ran as fast as he could away from the villains. Once he was out of hearing distance, Tigress turned to El Topo.

"You were a little bit intense, don't you think?"

"I will do anything to get Le Chèvre away from those maniacs." he replied. "Carmen Sandiego **will** be captured."

Tigress nodded. "She really messed up this time. Leaving a paper trail is **so** amateur."

There was a beep from Tigress's phone and she gave it a quick glance and then grimaced.

"V.I.L.E again?" El Topo asked.

"I can't keep delaying them forever." she stated with a frown. "Sooner or later they're going to realize I abandoned mission."

El Topo realized she was going to be in big trouble over this, and it was all because of him. "Is there anything I can do to help, mi amiga?"

"No, probably not." she admitted. "I'll think of something to tell them."

"Are you certain you want to help with this?" El Topo asked. "I don't want you to get in too much trouble for this."

"Le Chèvre is my friend as well." Tigress informed him, a hint of annoyance in her tone. "Don't insult me by thinking I'll just leave him to die. V.I.L.E can wait."

El Topo gave her a genuine smile.

"Ugh." Tigress growled when she saw his expression. "Don't go soft on me, rock-head, we have a goat to rescue."

"Yes." El Topo agreed, smile not fading.

"Ugh." Tigress said again, turning away. "I'm getting away from you before you try to hug me or something."

El Topo felt the first bit of hope for their mission, relieved they finally had a lead. Following after Tigress, he knew he just had to wait for that email.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"No, no, no!" Zack bellowed. "The head, go for the head!"

Mime Bomb button mashed the controller and somehow managed to stab Zack's character in the back. A few moments later his own character was eaten by the horde of zombies, ending their three hour long play. Zack let out an over-dramatic moan, and glared over at the villain.

"No offense, but you really suck at this game."

Mime Bomb pointed to his broken arm with a frown. He'd been using his bad arm to hold the controller steady as he button mashed, and in his opinion he'd done pretty well all things considered. He had a little movement in his fingers in that hand, but not much.

"Oh, yeah, I guess that makes sense." Zack said, annoyance fading. "Sorry."

Mime Bomb had been in Carmen Sandiego's hideout for three days now, and he was feeling better every day. Although loud, and a little dim, he rather liked Zack, and didn't mind his company. Zack was always friendly to him, and honestly Mime Bomb wasn't used to it. The boisterous redhead talked enough for the both of them, and he was always trying to include him in whatever he was doing. Zack was the one to wake him up during the night when he was having nightmares, and although he didn't have to, Zack stayed awake talking to him until he calmed down enough to go back to sleep.

Ivy, on the other hand, did not like him, and he felt the same way about her. Every day she swapped out places with her brother to give him a break for a couple hours, and both of them hated it. To be fair, he did tend to antagonize her a bit by purposely overdoing the whole mime shtick, knowing his over-exaggerated smiles and silent demeanor freaked her out. That and he tended to steal her things. He had made a game out of it to see just how many of her things he could pickpocket every time she was near him. He never manged to get his hands on her phone, however, and he suspected she was purposely leaving it in the other room.

Shadowsan checked on his wounds twice daily, disinfecting them and re-wrapping them, but it was clear he wanted nothing to do with Mime Bomb. He wasn't rude or cruel to him, simply indifferent which was just as bad. Mime Bomb tried to be friendly with him and cooperate as much as he could, but it was clear Shadowsan knew he was going to betray them. Shadowsan had been part of V.I.L.E long enough to know how villains thought, and he was simply waiting for Mime Bob to make his move.

Player was a ball of exuberance and friendliness, and to Mime Bomb's surprise, he learned the boy was Carmen's tech guy. He had no idea how old Player was, but his voice hadn't changed yet and he still lived with his parents. Mime Bomb mostly ignored the boy's never-ending questions unless they required a yes or no answer, and Player seemed fine with this.

Carmen was a different story altogether. Mime Bomb couldn't figure her out. She was acting incredibly nice to him, but he wasn't sure why. During training she used to laugh at him with the others, which was made worse by the fact she was also the one nicest to him. He used to think she wanted to be friends, but then she'd go off with the others the first chance she got, laughing about the weird mime to them. He'd never forget about graduation day when he had been booted from the first mission and was incredibly upset and disappointed. He had worked **so** hard to graduate, and they had snatched his first mission from him with no real explanation. They had insinuated it was because he was a mute, and he had left the meeting in tears. Carmen came across him outside the doors, and at first she seemed sympathetic to him, but then he overheard her laughing to Crackle about him not two minutes later. He'd been so angry at her, he tattled to the faculty when she snuck out to go on the mission. She'd given him black eye over that one.

Carmen seemed different now, but Mime Bomb was hesitant to trust it. He kept expecting her to be nice to him one minute and then making fun of him the next. Experience taught him to be wary of her. She hadn't made one single nasty comment to him yet, and he even heard her scolding Ivy for making fun of him. She had never defended him before in the past, and it was strange. Had Carmen Sandiego really changed that much in two years?

Mime Bomb looked up as Zack approached, and he set the controller aside.

"You feel like walking a bit today, or are you too sore?" Zack asked, holding out his hands.

Mime Bomb accepted the help up, and although he was still in a lot of pain, he was now able to walk a bit on his own. Shadowsan had given the okay just that morning, and Mime Bomb was relieved to regain a bit of his mobility.

"We'll get some lunch in the kitchen." Zack suggested. "It's not too long a walk."

Taking slow and careful steps, he followed Zack out of the room, and although it was only a few dozen steps to the kitchen, he found himself starting to tire. Sinking down into one of the kitchen chairs, Zack gave him an encouraging smile.

"You feel like soup?" he asked.

Mime Bomb gave him a shrug.

"I can make you some real gourmet soup invented by the famous chef Campbell. I just gotta find a can opener..."

As Zack turned his back to look for it, Mime Bomb's eyes fell on a cellphone sitting on the edge of the table. He simply stared at it in disbelief. Was this a trap? He shot a glance to Zack, but the boy seemed none the wiser. Why was this just laying out in the open like this? Reaching out a hesitant hand, he picked up the phone and pressed the home button. The phone had full bars of service. By the time Zack turned around, the phone was already hidden out of sight.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Would you **stop** pacing, blockhead? You're driving me crazy!"

El Topo paused in his pacing, and he let out a deep sigh. "Why is it taking so long?" he demanded. "It's been three days!"

"It's probably a complicated thing to trace." Tigress replied, turning a page in her book.

"Maybe I should call him again..."

Tigress let out a sigh and set down her book. "You've called Neal five times now. He's doing this as a favour for you, so I wouldn't push it. He's supposed to be on a mission right now, but he's been delaying it to work on this. Give him time, he's not a tech genius, he just knows how to hack."

"Sheena, they could be doing **anything** to Jean Paul at that horrible place! What if they're hurting him?"

"The only thing we can do is wait right now. This mission is off the grid, and we don't have access to any of V.I.L.E's experts. Give Neal time, and he'll call you."

Just as she said that, Tigress's phone rang and El Topo perked up. Tigress grabbed her phone and then frowned at the screen.

"V.I.L.E again?"

She let out a sigh and nodded. "I'm going to have to answer this." she said. "If I ignore them any longer they're going to assume I went AWOL."

"What are you going to say?" El Topo asked in concern.

"As little as possible." she answered. "We don't need them knowing Le Chèvre has been captured by the enemy. They'll send out the cleaners if they think he's a liability."

Stepping away so El Topo would be out of view, she answered the call. The very unhappy face of Professor Maestrom met her.

"Tigress, you finally have deigned to answer your phone, have you?"

Coach Brunt leaned into the picture. "Where have you been?" she demanded angrily. "We were expecting that artifact four days ago!"

"Something came up." Tigress replied.

Professor Maelstrom raised a single eyebrow in question. "Oh? What could possibly be more important than your mission?"

"This had better be good." Coach Brunt warned her.

Tigress hesitated. "It's a personal mission that is not V.I.L.E related. I need a week of personal time to get it taken care of."

"That is not how things work in V.I.L.E." Professor Maelstrom informed her. "Your missions always come first no matter what else is going on in your life. If you can't obey orders, than we have to assume you're a liability like Black Sheep."

"Are you seriously comparing me to that traitor?" Tigress snarled. "I am **not** betraying V.I.L.E, I simply have something I must deal with before my mission. I have been nothing but loyal, and the least you can do is give me a week."

Coach Brunt narrowed her eyes, despising traitors more than anything else. "What is this 'important' thing you have to do?"

"Something to do with my family." Tigress replied evasively.

"You know that once you join V.I.L.E you're supposed to cut off all ties to civilians." Professor Maelstrom scolded. "We can't have anyone knowing of V.I.L.E's existence."

"I protect all of V.I.L.E's secrets with my life." Tigress vowed. "I am loyal, and all I'm asking for is a week."

Professor Maelstrom and Coach Brunt exchanged a long look.

"If we give you this week, you will have consequences when you return." Professor Maelstrom informed her.

Tigress nodded. "I'm fine with that."

Professor Maelstrom gave her a disinterested shrug. "We will allow it, but if we find out you're doing **anything** we wouldn't approve of, the cleaners will be sent to collect you."

"Understood."

Professor Maelstrom ended the call, and Dr. Bellum turned to them. "She's in Poitiers with El Topo."

"And Le Chèvre?"

"Unknown. His tracker is offline."

"Interesting..." Professor Maelstrom mumbled. "I wonder what they're up to?"

"Think they betrayed us?" Coach Brunt demanded.

"I highly doubt it." he replied. "But I definitely think we need to monitor this situation."

"What do you suggest?" she asked with a frown.

"We will send the cleaners." he answered. "They will wait and observe, and only take action if necessary."

Coach Brunt nodded. "If they end up betraying us, I'm going to snap their necks myself."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Mime Bomb shifted in his seat nervously, worried someone was going to notice the phone's disappearance any moment. Zack was prattling on about this and that, but he wasn't paying attention. He needed to find a way to get a minute alone, but Ivy was taking a bath and there was no other room he was allowed by himself. Not sure how much time he had with the phone, he wondered if he could get away with sending a message while Zack was busy in the kitchen. Making sure the boy's back was to him, he slipped the phone out of his pocket and held it under the table out of sight. Mime Bomb only knew one cell phone number for V.I.L.E and so he hoped the person would be able to understand his meaning. He texted a zipper-face emoji with a head-bandage emoji and then hesitantly hit send. Realizing too late he forgot to silence the phone, there was a whooshing noise as the text was sent. Zack glanced over in the direction the noise had come from, and then his eyes widened. Mime Bomb got a reply only seconds later, the phone dinging loudly.

"Do you have a phone?!" Zack cried out.

Mime Bomb quickly glanced down at the reply.

"_**Who is this?**_"

As Zack barreled over to him, he quickly selected a clown emoji and a bomb.

"Hey, give me that!" Zack yelled out, trying to snatch the phone out of his hand. Mime Bomb struggled against him and hit send. Zack then pried the phone out of his hands, looking both furious and horrified at the same time.

"CARMEN!" he bellowed.

Mime Bomb knew the message was received by V.I.L.E and they were probably tracing it's origins now. It was only a matter of time before he was rescued. Carmen, followed by Shadowsan, burst into the kitchen, and her gaze immediately fell on the phone.

"My phone!" she gasped in realization. "Did he get a hold of my phone?!"

Zack gave her a guilty look and held it out to her. "I wasn't fast enough to stop him."

Carmen looked down at the phone's screen and saw the messages. "Player!" she called out. "Are you online?"

"Yeah, Red, what's up?"

"Mime Bomb got a hold of my phone and texted someone, can you block the messages?"

"Did the person already reply?"

"Yes."

"It's too late for that. You need to destroy that phone immediately. They'll be able to tell which cell tower the phone used, but they wont be able to find our exact location."

Carmen immediately dropped the phone to the floor and stomped it without hesitation.

Shadowsan glared down at Mime Bomb who looked up at him nervously, having a feeling he was about to be hit. Extremely hard.

Seizing the thief by the back of the shirt, Shadowsan yanked him out of his chair and gave him a hard shake, seriously tempted to throttle him. Pulling him close so they were face to face, Shadowsan narrowed his eyes angrily.

"Foolish child!" he snarled. "Do you have any idea what you could have done? We've done nothing but try to help you, and you've betrayed our trust!"

Mime Bomb stared back at him for a moment and then felt his own anger rise. Pulling away from Shadowsan, he gestured to himself and around the room. Letting his fury to take over and he began signing fast and angrily.

"What is this fool saying?" Shadowsan demanded.

"Er..." Player said. It was a bit hard to understand because of the broken arm, but Player was able to figure it out pretty quickly. "Most of that I shouldn't repeat, but the gist of it is that V.I.L.E will come for him and they will rescue him."

Carmen gave him a look of pity. "There are some things you don't know about V.I.L.E..." she told him. "Things I know now I should have told you sooner..."

Mime Bomb stamped a foot and signed something else.

"He says that he is not going to be thrown in some dark hole for the rest of his life, he will go back with V.I.L.E."

"Look, I should have expected this to happen." Carmen told him. "I will explain everything if you calm down, and take a seat. We'll talk about this calmly."

Mime Bomb signed one last thing and Shadowsan swatted him across the back of the head for it.

"I understood that one." he explained, crossing his arms. "Enough foul language. Sit down and stop having this childish temper tantrum!"

Fed up, Mime Bomb took a seat and crossed his arms, glaring at Carmen impatiently.

Carmen hoped it wasn't going to be a mistake telling him this, but cleared her throat and began her explanation."The night you went to retrieve the hard drive from Michael Finnegan, I was hiding in the room when you arrived. I had shown up just before you to steal it."

Mime Bomb's eyes widened, not expecting this.

"I was there when someone shot through the window, and I saw how you got the blame for it."

Mime Bomb's expression was interested, but guarded as he waited for more.

"We have reason to believe it was Michael Finnegan Jr who had arranged the hit on his father, in retaliation for being written out of his father's will. Michael Sr. believes V.I.L.E was behind the attack, and V.I.L.E believed **you** were behind it."

Mime Bomb's expression looked horrified at the thought V.I.L.E believed he was a traitor, and he shook his head.

"You took the blame for it on both sides which is why no one ever came to rescue you."

Again Mime Bomb shook his head.

"V.I.L.E sent El Topo and Le Chèvre to find you and to...to kill you. We had an altercation with them at the hospital and we barely got you out of there alive. This is why we're in a secret location right now. They will be coming for you again, and we can't have them finding us."

Mime Bomb shook his head harder, refusing to believe it. He turned accusatory eyes to Carmen, and she let out a sigh.

"If you return to them, they **will** kill you." Carmen told him. "V.I.L.E has turned their back on you, and you cannot contact them again!"

Mime Bomb was certain she had to be lying. Although they didn't always get along, he felt certain El Topo and Le Chèvre would never kill him. They were teammates, and they had been through a lot together.

"Staying with us for right now is your only chance at staying safe." Carmen told him. "You have no other choice."

Mime Bomb gave her a dirty look, refusing to believe it.

"She is telling the truth." Shadowsan told him. "V.I.L.E has labeled you a traitor."

Shaking his head in denial, Mime Bomb got up and began stomping his way back to the bedroom. Carmen followed after him, but he slammed the door in her face as hard as he could as he entered. She opened the door, just as he flopped down on his bed, turning his back to her.

"Mime Bomb, I know that we were on opposite sides, but I'm not lying to you. I'm just trying to help."

He refused to acknowledge her in any way and after a few minutes she gave up and left the room. A few minutes after that, Zack entered, set a bowl of soup beside him on the nightstand, but didn't say anything to him. Furious that they would try to trick him like this, Mime Bomb ignored the food and refused to interact with anyone for the rest of the day. Zack seemed a little cold towards him as well, and he suspected the boy had felt betrayed by his actions. Mime Bomb knew V.I.L.E received his messages and could only hope that was enough to lead them to his rescue.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Tigress looked up as her phone rang.

"It's Neal." she told El Topo, who jumped to his feet.

"Hey, slimeball." she greeted, answering the phone.

Neal the Eel let out a sigh. "Do you have to call me that?" he demanded irritably. "Can I speak with El Topo, please?"

Neal was normally very chipper and friendly with everyone, but there was clearly bad blood between he and Tigress.

"If you insist, grease-stain." Tigress responded.

Tigress tossed the phone over to El Topo who caught it.

"Hello?" El Topo answered excitedly.

"Kia Ora, Antonio, I finally managed to trace that payment for you."

"You did? That's amazing, mi amigo! Where did she send the payment from?"

"I wasn't able to narrow it down to the exact location, but it looks like the funds were sent from a bank in The United States."

"The United States?" El Topo repeated in confusion. "There's no way to trace it any more than that?"

"No, sorry, love. Carmen Sandiego must have her own tech guy because he did a really good job masking the location. I wasn't able to get any more information other than the country of origin."

Antonio let out a sigh. "Okay, well thank you for your help, Neal. I owe you one."

"Chur, mate." Neal replied, ending the call.

"Well?" Tigress demanded the second he hung up the phone.

"We're going to The United States."

"Which State?" Tigress asked, already heading for her dufflebag.

"...I don't know." El Topo admitted. "We only know Carmen Sandiego is in The United States."

Tigress let out a deep sigh. "We can't just guess and hope to find her, dumbbell."

El Topo scratched his chin as he thought about it. "Her name is Carmen Sandiego, and so maybe her base is in San Diego?"

Tigress rolled her eyes. "Not even Fedora the Explora is **that** dumb."

El Topo's shoulders slumped in disappointment. "I suppose you're right."

Tigress's phone let out a ding and she accepted the phone back from El Topo. She stared at the screen and then furrowed her brow.

"Some rando just texted me." she commented in annoyance, texting her reply.

After a few seconds, her eyes widened. "It's Mime Bomb!"

"Where is he?" El Topo asked.

"Just a sec, I'm asking."

Tigress and El Topo stared at the phone but there were no further replies.

"Can we trace it?"

"Yeah, I can easily see which tower the phone signal originated from. I used to do this all the time when spying on my ex."

Approaching her laptop, she did a bit of typing and twenty minutes later she stared in disbelief at the screen.

"What?" El Topo demanded.

"...I don't believe this."

"What?" El Topo repeated impatiently.

"She really **is** in San Diego!"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Next chapter will be in a few days**


	8. San Diego

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**The Silence**

Chapter 8: San Diego

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Carmen sat at the kitchen table, nursing a cup of coffee as Shadowsan sat with her. The broken pieces of her phone sat on the table in front of them.

"I don't know what to do." Carmen said with a sigh. "He's refusing to listen. He won't even look at me!"

"It's just a tantrum." Shadowsan replied, taking a sip of his tea. "You told him something he didn't want to hear. Let him calm down and try again later."

"I don't know, Shadowsan, it feels like there's something else bothering him. I don't know anything about him, and I wish I did. If I knew who he was and where he had come from, it would help me better understand him."

"I've had no luck locating who he is, Red." Player said apologetically. "No missing person reports, no hits in the police database, and I even tried running his picture against all school photos and no matches."

Carmen thought back to a conversation she and her friends had about Mime Bomb one time during dinner at the academy.

_The dining hall was loud and busy as always, and she and her friends were sitting together._

_"I refuse to believe he is French." Le Chèvre muttered to himself. "There's no way."_

_"Who?" El Topo asked in confusion, glancing up at his friend._

_"**Him**." _ _Le Chèvre said in disdain, pointing to Mime Bomb who sat at the next table over. "The freak."_

_"Why do you say that?" Carmen asked, glancing over at Mime Bomb in curiosity._

_"France is a country of elegance and good taste." _ _Le Chèvre stated, nose in the air. "We French pride ourselves in all things we do, unlike other people."_

_"What's your point, goat?" Tigress demanded._

_"I just saw Mime Bomb mix ketchup, ranch and mayo together and then pour it onto his grilled salmon. No Frenchman alive would **ever** do such a thing!"_

_"He puts ketchup on everything." Carmen stated, this being something she had noticed earlier._

_"Exactly! He is not French! The French do not use ketchup...well at least not in public."_

_"I dunno, Jean Paul, I think he's one of yours." Tigress replied, staring at Mime Bomb. "Mime's are all French, aren't they?"_

_"Impossible." _ _Le Chèvre growled. "France refuses to take credit for **him**!"_

_"Why don't you just ask him a question in French and see if he understands?" El Topo suggested._

_Le Chèvre thought about that a moment. "I will!" he said determinedly, getting up from his seat._

_Everyone watched as he stomped over to Mime Bomb and then stood hovering over him until he was noticed. Mime Bomb glanced up at him, saw the angry expression and then gave him a look as if to say 'what?'_

_"_ _Parlez-vous Français?"_

_Mime Bomb nodded, and the spectators behind them howled with laughter._

_"I knew it, he's one of yours!" Tigress called over mockingly._

_Mime Bomb glanced over at them curiously, but turned his attention back to _ _Le Chèvre when he spoke again._

_"Tu viens d'où?" he demanded, crossing his arms._

_Mime Bomb waved one of his hands lazily in a circle._

_"Around?" _ _Le Chèvre guessed, switching back in English._

_Mime Bomb nodded, and _ _Le Chèvre scowled._

_"I want to know where specifically!"_

_Mime Bomb gave him a shrug, having no intention on elaborating._

_Everyone over at the table laughed even harder, and _ _Le Chèvre looked even more annoyed. "This means nothing. French is a common second language!" he defended._

_"You could be brothers!" Tigress called over._

_Le Chèvre_ _ batted Mime Bomb's tray off the table and then snapped. "Don't disgrace your food like that! Have a little pride!"_

_Mime Bomb had looked stunned as he stared down at the mess of food that was now in his lap and on the floor. Without even looking at the group of teenagers laughing at him, he simply got up and left the cafeteria._

Carmen frowned at that memory, knowing they were being bullies. She'd have to make it point to apologize to Mime Bomb for the way she had treated him during training.

"Maybe he's not French?" Carmen suggested. "He uses British sign language and so maybe we have to try looking in the United Kingdom?"

"That will take a lot of time." Player stated. "It would make it easier if I knew which country to start with."

"England is probably your best bet." she replied.

"Okay, Red, I'll start my search over, but it will take some time. I'll get to work on it right now."

"Perfect, thank you, Player."

"No problem."

Carmen turned her gaze to Shadowsan. "Do you know anything else about him?"

"Not much." he replied. "You probably would know more than I would since you lived in the same dorm as him for a year."

Carmen shook her head. "We never really hung out." she answered. "He never spoke and I honestly found him weird. I now feel bad for treating him the way I did. It wouldn't have killed me to include him. At the time, I didn't know he was mute, I just thought he had some sort of crippling social anxiety."

"I did not believe he would graduate when he first came to the island." Shadowsan stated thoughtfully. "He was incredibly talented when it came to stealing, but he was far too gentle. He was always overly careful during combat training to never harm his opponent, and he was scolded for it frequently. It was to everyone's surprise that for his final exam, he actually tried and won against El Topo. He received very good marks in his other classes, and graduated, but I felt he wasn't ready for his first mission. I suggested to the other faculty that he be cut from the mission."

"Oh! **That's** why he was excluded!" Carmen said in surprise. "He was really disappointed."

A look of slight guilt washed over Shadowsan's face. "When I saw his disposition during training, I regretted ever recruiting him. He was not V.I.L.E material. I was going to fail him the same way I did you, but I didn't want anyone growing suspicious over the two failures. Up until the final exam, you both had excellent marks and it would have caught the interest of Professor Maelstrom."

"You mentioned that you found him in Paris, but he resisted joining V.I.L.E. How did you persuade him to come to the island if he was refusing at first?"

Shadowsan frowned. "We staged an arrest, roughed him up bit, and put him in what he thought was a jail cell. The fake police told him he was going away for grand larceny, fraud, assault, and working without a license, and he'd be lucky if he didn't get life in prison. We let him stew in there for four days before I approached him with an offer. Join the academy or be left where he was. The choice was obvious."

Carmen's eyes were wide with horror. "That's terrible!"

Shadowsan shrugged. "It is a common way we persuaded thieves to join. It makes them feel indebted to us, and keeps them loyal. I regret my past actions, and wish I had never joined V.I.L.E to begin with."

"You should tell him what you did." Carmen told him with a frown.

"I feel he wouldn't believe me." he replied. "At least not yet. He has spent three years with V.I.L.E and it will be difficult for him to betray them."

"They betrayed him first." Carmen pointed out "They never even waited to hear his side of the story before ordering his execution!"

"I know that I may have seemed a little hard on him these last few days, I just wanted to protect you." he replied. "Mime Bomb is well known for tattling, and I just feel we can't trust him. At least not yet."

"I really need to get him to listen to me." Carmen said with a sigh. "I'll try talking to him in the morning."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Chase Devineaux was **not** having a good day. Scratch that, he was not having a good year. Everything in his life seemed to be crumbling to pieces around him, and he felt like it was spiraling out of his control. Everything he had worked for in his life was taken away in an instant, and now he was left with nothing.

Chase was slouched in an armchair at home, beer in one hand and tv remote in the other. He hadn't bothered getting dressed in over a week, and a thick layer of stubble adorned his face. It didn't escape his attention that no one had called to check on him, not even once. It hurt to know that he could have dropped right off the face of the Earth and no one would have noticed. Tossing aside the empty beer can, he raised a hand to his head and ran his fingers through his oily hair.

He hadn't found a single clue about where Carmen Sandiego was, and V.I.L.E seemed to have completely disappeared. Everything he investigated went nowhere, and he felt frustrated and disgusted at himself. He missed his partner, but she'd also cut him off without a word. He would never chance endangering her life by calling her, but there was no reason she couldn't have called **him**.

He wasn't even paying attention to what was on the television, but he stared at it anyway, his mind lost in thought. All his work, all his planning, all his pain and what did he have to show for it? Nothing at all. Had he even accomplished **one** thing while investigating Carmen Sandiego? Chase reached over and cracked open a new beer. Of course he had accomplished something, he had accomplished ruining his life.

Chase's apartment looked like someone had ransacked it, but he had done it himself in a pique of anger. He'd torn down every news article, every picture, every clue and shredded them all. He thought it would make him feel better, but after it was all done, it had left a cold and empty feeling in his chest. He had stared at the wreckage in silence, and then proceeded to crack his first beer. The floor was now littered with empty cans, and the empty feeling remained.

Chase had devoted his whole life to being an Interpol agent, and he had no friends, no family, and not even a pet. What was left for him, if he didn't have Interpol? Letting out a deep sigh, he glanced over at the calendar and saw he'd missed his appointment with the unemployment office. They'd probably already cut him off from benefits and he let out another sigh. Did it really matter? Did **any** of this matter? Sitting head in hand, he felt like there was no way out of this pit his life had become. The pit just became deeper and deeper the more he tried to crawl out of it.

His cell phone suddenly rang, startling him, and he glanced over at it, not recognizing the number. Assuming it was the lady from the unemployment office, he groaned and then reached for the phone. Answering it, he held it up to his ear.

"Yes, yes, Miss Thibodeau, I know I missed our appointment..."

"Devineaux." a familiar voice said, interrupting.

His eyes widened. "LA FEMME ROUGE!" he bellowed into the phone. "How did you get this number?!"

There was a pause on the other end of the phone as Carmen turned her volume down. "Devineaux, I need your help with something. It will help a lot of people if we succeed in this, and it's incredibly important."

"What? Why would I help **you**, CARMEN SANDIEGO?"

"I can't explain everything over the phone, but I require Interpol's help on this matter."

Chase hesitated. "Er, yes Interpol, of course I am with Interpol..."

"I would like us to meet so I can explain what's been going on. Will you come?"

Chase glanced around his filthy apartment, and it was no decision at all.

"I, Chase Devineaux, will come, but do not be surprised if you're finally captured, Carmen Sandiego!"

"Your flight has already been booked. Be to the airport in two hours to catch the flight to San Diego."

"And how will I find you?" he demanded.

"You won't." Carmen replied. "I'll find **you**."

The call ended without another word and Chase stared at the receiver in confusion for a moment before a newfound sense of purpose seemed to fill him. Setting the phone aside, he headed for the bathroom to have his first shower in over a week. He would find Carmen Sandiego, he would capture her, and he would prove himself to everyone who thought he was a moron.

"YOU ARE MINE, CARMEN SANDIEGO!" he bellowed.

A few moments later, his neighbour was pounding angrily on the wall.

"DO NOT DISTRACT ME WHILE I AM WORKING!" Chase yelled through the wall.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Zack seemed to be back to his old self again in the morning, and Mime Bomb was rather surprised when Zack was joking and smiling again. He was certain the other boy would have labeled him as the enemy after what he did, but Zack never even mentioned it.

"So, I'm thinking with your bad arm and all, we could try a game that'll be a little easier. How about Mimecraft?" Zack said this with a wide grin, proud of his own joke.

The joke was so bad that Mime Bomb couldn't help but smile at it.

Glad the villain seemed to be in a better mood now, Zack offered him a controller. Mime Bomb shook his head and didn't take it.

"You don't want to play?" Zack asked in confusion.

Mime Bomb once again shook his head.

"Okay, what do you want to do?" Zack asked. "Do you like watching sports? I have a few football dvds."

Mime Bomb made a face like he had just sucked a lemon and Zack laughed. "Okay, no sports. How about we go see what Ivy's doing?"

Mime Bomb hesitated, glancing towards the door nervously.

"Relax, no one's mad at you. Well, maybe Shadowsan, but he's always mad."

Mime Bomb was curious about the rest of the base, but had a feeling Zack was mistaken about the others being mad at him. Zack could see his look of uncertainty and so held out a hand to help him to his feet.

"I bet you can't steal Ivy's hairpin without her noticing."

Mime Bomb grinned widely and accepted the hand. Challenge accepted.

He was feeling a lot stronger than the day before, and the walk down the hallway didn't seem as taxing. Ivy was sitting in some sort of rec room watching tv, and she glanced up in surprise when they entered the room. She narrowed her eyes at Mime Bomb, having heard all about what he did yesterday, but she didn't comment. Shadowsan was sitting in a nearby armchair reading, but he didn't acknowledge their presence.

"Heya, big sis!" Zack greeted plunking down on the couch beside her.

Mime Bomb took the seat on the other side of her, and Ivy was instantly suspicious. "What are you two up to?" she demanded. "You better not have taken my Doritos!"

"There's Doritos?!" Zack exclaimed, glancing around. "Where?"

Ivy snorted. "Wouldn't **you** like to know."

Ivy turned her gaze to Mime Bomb who was staring at the television screen, seemingly not paying any attention to either of them.

"And I'm keeping an eye on **you**!" she informed the villain. "Touch my phone and I'll break your **other** arm."

Mime Bomb flashed her a grin and Ivy was even more suspicious.

"That innocent act won't work with me!" she vowed. "I have eyes like a hawk!"

Mime Bomb gave her a nod, his smile never wavering and despite herself she let out a shudder. "Ugh, clowns. I've never liked clowns."

"Well, if you're going to insult us, then we'll just go somewhere else!" Zack exclaimed, feigning hurt.

As they both got up from the couch, Mime Bomb seemed to have a sudden loss of strength and he started to fall. Ivy was quick to steady him, and he placed a hand on her shoulder as he straightened.

"Careful." Ivy told him, a hint of worry in her eyes. "Maybe you shouldn't be up so soon?"

"Yeah, maybe you're right." Zack said, taking Mime Bomb by his good arm. "We'll go back to the bedroom and rest for a while."

Shadowsan let out an irritated sigh from where he sat, but otherwise didn't comment on what was going on.

Zack helped lead him away and the moment they were out of sight, he released the villain and shot him a grin. Mime Bomb returned the grin, and once they were back in the bedroom Zack turned to him expectantly.

"Soooo, did you get it?"

Mime Bomb reached into his pockets and pulled out a whole handful of things. Zack looked through the stuff in surprise.

"73 cents, a snickers bar, a pack of gum, her car keys, and her hairpin!" Zack said, feeling impressed. "I didn't even see you take anything! Wow, V.I.L.E really knows how to train their thieves!"

Mime Bomb could have gotten her phone as well, but considering her threats, he didn't feel that was a wise decision. Zack opened the snickers and took a bite, taking a seat on his bed as he did so.

"Want some?" he asked, holding it out. "We have to get rid of the evidence."

Mime Bomb shook his head.

"You know, you should try to find a girlfriend." Zack said out of nowhere. "I'm sure I could find someone for you."

Mime Bomb stared at him like he'd grown three heads.

"Someone who doesn't mind that you don't speak." Zack paused as he thought about it. "A deaf girl! A deaf girl wouldn't care if you don't speak." he paused again. "Or a deaf guy, whatever you prefer. No judgments."

Mime Bomb shook his head.

"No? Are you sure? I mean I could be your wingman if you ever want to try?"

Again Mime Bomb shook his head.

"Okay, suit yourself." Zack said with a shrug. "I just think that if you had a partner, you wouldn't be so eager to go back to V.I.L.E."

Mime Bomb rolled his eyes.

He was glad Zack didn't seem to hold a grudge, and hated to admit it, but he genuinely did like it here. He liked Zack's friendly and energetic company, he enjoyed Ivy's outrage at being teased, but also her kindness towards him. He could see the concern and worry in her eyes every time he was in pain, and despite all of her brusque words, he had the feeling she was being genuine. He was still on the fence about Shadowsan and Carmen however. He knew Carmen would never hurt him, but he also knew she would have no qualms about getting him arrested. He had no idea what Shadowsan was thinking, the other man a complete mystery.

Mime Bomb was always observant, which had allowed him to do well solving puzzles and ciphers during training, and he had witnessed a few inconsistencies around him at the base. The weather seemed to be extremely hot which was very unlike western France, and the fact he was not permitted near a window was suspicious. He felt certain they were definitely **not** in Poitiers, and based on the odd food he'd been seeing around the warehouse, only confirmed this in his mind. Zack ate copious amounts of takeout and junkfood, none of which were brands he'd seen in Poitiers. If he had to guess, he'd say they were probably in The United States. Somehow, they had gotten him on a plane and smuggled him out of the country.

A knock came at the door, and a moment later Carmen poked her head in.

"Mime Bomb, do you mind if I talk to you a few minutes?"

Giving her a wary look, he hesitantly nodded.

"Zack, can you give us a moment alone?"

"Sure thing, Carm." Zack said, stuffing the last of the chocolate into his mouth. "Do you know where Ivy's been hiding the Doritos?"

"Top shelf of the cereal cupboard." Carmen responded.

Zack's eyes lit up, and he sped out of the room without another word.

Carmen took a seat on Zack's bed across from Mime Bomb and offered him a smile. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

Mime Bomb tilted his good hand as if to say so-so.

"I know you haven't had an easy time, and I'm sorry for that." she said, her tone gentle. "I understand your mistrust, I really do. I was terrible to you during training and I have no excuse for it."

This was not the conversation Mime Bomb was expecting and he blinked in surprise.

"We purposely excluded you from everything we did at the academy, and we all bullied you. We made fun of you as if you didn't have feelings, as if you weren't a real person, and I don't blame you for resenting me. We shouldn't have judged you the way we did, and I'm ashamed for how I acted. I'm truly sorry, and I hope you can forgive me."

Mime Bomb wasn't sure how to react. No one had ever apologized to him before and it felt strange. Did she really mean what she said?

Carmen reached forward and placed a hand on his knee. "No one here will try to force you to speak or be anything you're not. I'm sorry you had to go through such a horrific ordeal with the Finnegans, and you have my word they will pay for what they did. We're going to take down their whole empire, and they will rot in jail for a very **very** long time."

Mime Bomb wondered if V.I.L.E ever would done that for him. Would they take down a whole criminal empire just for one agent? He seriously doubted it.

"I give you my word that I've told you nothing but the truth. I'm not expecting you to join us or anything, but I hope that we can at least have a truce?"

Carmen held out a hand towards him, which Mime Bomb side-eyed for a moment, but he hesitantly reached out and shook the hand. Carmen's smile was wide and warm, and she clapped him happily on the shoulder.

"When we take the Finnegans down, I promise you'll get to see it happen."

Mime Bomb nodded, wanting more than anything to see Michael Jr lose everything he had. He wanted the man to suffer, to feel the fear and pain and helplessness he did, but knew that was asking a bit too much.

"Please don't try to contact V.I.L.E again." Carmen said, her expression turning serious. "I know it's hard to believe right now, but you're in danger. V.I.L.E are probably already on their way to the city, and if they find you, they **will** kill you. It doesn't matter if they send our former friends or dorm-mates, they believe you're the enemy and they will do as ordered."

Mime Bomb gave no reaction, and so Carmen leaned forward. "Please, do you trust me?"

Mime Bomb looked away and Carmen let out a sigh. Babysteps were all she could expect at this time. Trust would take time to grow. Giving him one last pat on the knee, she stood up and turned towards the door.

"Please just think about what I said."

Once Mime Bomb was alone, he stared at the closed bedroom door, honestly not sure what to think. He didn't want to believe V.I.L.E would toss him aside like a piece of trash, but he had seen them do many terrible things over the years. **Villains International League of Evil **didn't exactly hide the fact they were evil, and how valuable was he to them truly? He was a spy and snitch who never spoke. The lunch lady was probably more valuable than he was.

After graduation, his relationship with the other agents had gotten a little better, but he knew they still didn't like him. Would they truly kill him if they were ordered? Le Chèvre and El Topo had worked with him on many difficult missions, and now they were simply going to kill him? No questions asked?

Mime Bomb shook his head. Impossible. Carmen had to be mistaken.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Tigress stepped off the plane, the hot Californian air hitting her like a slap in the face. Smiling, she glanced around, and then turned to El Topo.

"Home, sweet, home." she commented.

El Topo's brows rose in surprise. "You are from San Diego?"

"L.A actually, but close enough." Tigress responded. "My family owns a manor there."

El Topo blinked. "Manor, as in bigger than a mansion?"

Tigress waved him off dismissively "Yeah, I suppose."

"Why go into thievery if you come from a wealthy family?" he asked not able to understand this at all.

Tigress's lip curled up into a sneer. "It was never about the money for me. It was about having the power to take anything and everything I want. Someday I will steal all of my father's companies right out from under him, and I will destroy him completely. He will then learn I was the one responsible."

Having family issues seemed to be a right of passage for V.I.L.E agents and so this didn't even surprise El Topo. "Where do your parents think you are?" he asked.

"At some posh school in Switzerland." she responded. "They think I'm so dumb that I have to keep repeating year 12 over and over."

"My own parents sold me for drug money." El Topo told her. "Blood does not make family."

He placed an arm around her shoulders and Tigress laughed. "Get off me, you stupid mole!"

"STOP BLOCKING THE EXIT!" Came an angry bellow from behind them.

A middle-aged man in a brown coat pushed past them, looking annoyed. "Some of us have places to be." he stated, his words dripping in a thick French accent. "I am on important inspector business! Out of my way!"

Tigress and El Topo stared at the man, both getting the feeling they recognized him from somewhere. Exchanging a look, they shrugged and then crossed the tarmac, heading for where their rental car waited.

They were finally in the right city, and now all they had to do was locate Carmen Sandiego. Victory was now in reach.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**TBC**


	9. Bitter Reunions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Authornote:
> 
> Wow, this chapter is twice as long as the other chapters have been! Guess I got a bit carried away. lol
> 
> Sorry about the 80 billion scene changes in this chapter. With so many characters, it was bound to happen sooner or later. lol I am not used to writing action scenes, and so I apologize if anything seems boring or weird. I don't really like how this chapter turned out and so I will probably go back and fix it later.
> 
> If you're enjoying the story so far, please let me know your thoughts. I'm open to all suggestions and criticisms as it helps me improve the story.
> 
> Happy Reading!

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**The Silence**

Chapter 9: Bitter Reunions

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Chase Devineaux was already going stir-crazy and it had been less than a day since he arrived in San Diego. He had been expecting a call the moment his plane touched down, but the call never came. He had loitered around for a while at the airport, but when it became clear he was probably in for a long wait, he rented a car, and then found a cheap motel. He spent the rest of the afternoon watching tv and pacing around, and by 10pm he was thoroughly annoyed.

"What kind of games are you playing, Carmen Sandiego?" he muttered, glaring at his phone.

He thought back to her words, and considered the possibility he had misunderstood what she meant. She had told him she would find him, and so maybe she wasn't going to call at all? If she wasn't going to call him first, how would she be able to find him? San Diego was a large city, and he hadn't told her where he'd be. Scratching his chin in thought, he wondered if he should make it easier for her to find him by wandering around in public places? Glancing at the time on his phone, he knew it was too late for that now, and so he grumbled a bit and got ready for bed. Setting his alarm for early the next morning, he crawled into bed, hoping the motel wasn't infested with bedbugs.

The next morning he would head out and begin walking, and hopefully the elusive Carmen Sandiego would be able to find him.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Mime Bomb woke early the next morning long before the sun rose. He hadn't slept well, his mind too preoccupied with thoughts of V.I.L.E and team Sandiego. Glancing across the room at Zack, he saw the boy was sprawled out in all directions snoring loudly. Mime Bomb slowly sat up, the pain in his stitches barely noticeable. He had thought a lot about what Carmen said the day before, but still wasn't ready to believe it was true. Whatever the true situation was, he knew El Topo and Le Chèvre would at least listen to him when they found him. Tigress would probably hit him first, but she would listen as well. She was actually quite good at understanding his pantomime. Surely if they were sent to kill him, he could appeal to them? If they knew what really happened at the Finnegans, he felt certain they wouldn't harm him. They weren't monsters after all.

Slowly standing to his feet, he noted he felt a lot stronger than the day before. Carmen told him she had contacted someone from Interpol, but assured him she wasn't going to just hand him over. She explained that Interpol was to be used only in dire circumstances in the case he had to be relocated to a safe location until things blew over. Mime Bomb didn't like the idea of Interpol knowing about any of this, but Carmen had seemed confident everything would be fine, and so he hadn't protested.

Zack let out a loud snort, and Mime Bomb glanced back at him. Would Carmen even allow him to return to V.I.L.E if he was welcomed back? Would they have to fight over it? What if he and the others had no choice but to hurt Carmen and her crew? Mime Bomb frowned, knowing that when Tigress and whoever she brought with her arrived to get him, they would have no choice but to attack Carmen's team if they were present. He would be expected to help them.

His gaze was still on Zack, knowing that Carmen's whole crew could easily become an accidental casualty. They were unquestionably loyal to Carmen, and they would defend her to their last breath. Mime Bomb's frown deepened, knowing Zack had been extremely kind to him, and he doubted the boy knew how to properly defend himself. Could he really lead Tigress to the ones responsible for saving his life? Could he watch as Zack or one of the others were killed in front of him?

Chewing his lower lip anxiously, he had no idea what to do. Just a week ago, everything was black and white, good vs evil, but now he wasn't sure where he stood on all this. He was certainly no saint, but he also didn't want to betray the only people who had ever shown him any kindness. He owed Carmen Sandiego his life, and he would repay the favour.

Mime Bomb glanced up at the small window near the ceiling of the room. If he escaped on his own, he could lead Tigress far away from Carmen's base. He could explain his side of things, and either return with them, or escape their attack if they didn't believe him. He wouldn't be placing anyone in danger, and he'd be dealing with his own problems. He owed Carmen that much at least. Carmen would know that he'd have no choice but to report the location of her base, and he would keep it under wraps unless specifically asked. That would give Carmen plenty time to move her home base.

Mime Bomb stared at the window, knowing it would be extremely difficult to climb that high with a broken arm. If he wasn't injured, it wouldn't be an issue, but he had a feeling he'd end up hurting himself even worse if he tried it. Turning his gaze to the door, he knew it would be risky and stupid to escape out the front door. He had no idea what kind of security they had, and Shadowsan seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to knowing when he was up to something. His options were pretty limited, and when he considered his choices, the window seemed his best bet even if risky.

Glancing at the clock, he saw it was nearly five, and knew Shadowsan would be getting up soon. The older man had always done his morning exercises at the crack of dawn, and with Mime Bomb's luck he'd get caught.

Moving completely silently, Mime Bomb lifted a chair and carried it over to the window. The window was up about nine feet and was quite small, but Mime Bomb was thin and used to fitting through small spaces. His lithe frame was what got him sent on missions, most of the other thieves too bulky to climb through vents and other narrow places. Neal the Eel was also sent on missions for the same reason, but he was much more talented at it than Mime Bomb could ever hope to be.

Placing the chair on top of the nearby desk, he silently climbed up, keeping a wary eye on Zack. Unlocking the window, he pushed it open, and then carefully hoisted himself up. To his dismay he saw he was on the second floor, at least twenty feet from the pavement below. grabbing onto the drainpipe that ran along the edge of the building, he pulled himself out of the window, and carefully balanced along the window ledge, hoping he didn't fall. Taking small and cautious steps, he headed towards the fire escape, keeping a death-grip on the drainpipe. The ancient pipe groaned in protest and shook as he tip-toed along, but surprisingly enough, it held until he made it to safety.

Hurrying down the stairs of the fire escape, he made it to the street and then glanced around, having no idea where he was. His gaze fell on a palm tree, and then the street signs written in English and felt confident he was indeed in the United States. He took note of the factory he'd just exited from, and then without looking back, hurried off down the street, hoping to get far enough away that Carmen's base wouldn't be found.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Tigress stared at her cell phone distractedly as they walked along and El Topo steered her so she wouldn't accidentally walk into something.

"Okay, this is the direct center of the range for the cell signal." she stated, coming to a dead stop in the middle of the sidewalk.

"How wide is the tower range?" El Topo asked, hoping they wouldn't have to cover dozens of miles.

"It looks like it was a private cell tower that one of the office buildings owns. The range is a mile square. Somewhere in downtown, is Carmen Sandiego."

"We should split up to cover more ground." El Topo suggested. "Whoever finds her first sends the other a message."

Tigress nodded. "I might rough her up a bit while waiting for you." she warned, flashing him a grin.

"Don't kill her." El Topo warned.

"I know." Tigress replied, rolling her eyes. "Have fun, but not **too** much fun."

"We meet back at the hotel at five pm local time if we don't find anything. Keep me updated on everything."

"You know, you've gotten very bossy lately." Tigress stated. "If you were anyone else, you'd have a few claws stuck up your nostril by now."

El Topo gave her an apologetic look. "I'm just worried about Jean Paul." he explained. "I have to take everything as seriously as I can. I just don't want anything going wrong!"

"I won't disappoint you." Tigress replied, turning away. "See you soon."

El Topo watched as Tigress disappeared into the crowd and he watched her go with a frown. Tigress was moody and impulsive, and he hoped she would keep her word. Turning to walk in the opposite direction, El Topo hoped he would be the first one to find Carmen.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Heya, Red." Player said, his voice coming through the nearby speakers.

Carmen opened an eye and then let out a yawn.

"Hi, Player." she responded tiredly, but in good humour. "Don't you ever sleep?"

"I nap during Geography and Phys. Ed." he answered. "The great thing about online teachers is they never actually know if you're paying attention or not. Geography's easy, and so it's a good naptime."

"And Phys. Ed.?" Carmen questioned, letting out another yawn.

"Have you ever once seen me get out of this chair?" Player asked with a laugh.

"Honestly no."

"I'm not exactly a very sporty guy, if you know what I mean."

"So, what's up?" Carmen asked sitting up.

"I have good news and bad news. Which would you like first?"

"Oh no." Carmen moaned. "Well, what's the good news?"

"I found every single one of the Finnegan accounts, even several owned by V.I.L.E that are associated with him. I have them all set up to be drained with a single button press."

Carmen perked up. "Player, that's fantastic! You're a genius!"

"Er, I would hold off on the praise..."

Carmen frowned. "Why? What's the bad news?"

"In order to drain the Finnegan accounts, Michael Finnegan himself has to authorize the withdrawals with a verbal password only he knows. Not a cent can leave his accounts without his express permission. I can see the money, but I can't touch it until I have the password."

"Hmm, that **is** troubling." Carmen admitted, rubbing at her eyes. "I guess it pays to be paranoid when you're a villain."

"If we want to take his entire empire down, we'll need to find out what that password is. I've checked every file I can, and I don't think he's ever written it down. The word Volkov keeps coming up in all my research, but it doesn't seem to be a password. I can't find anything linked with that word other than some random lab in Russian that burned down ten years ago. It look like they bred fancy designer dogs, and so probably not related to the Finnegans. Volkov might be code for something, or it might just be misdirection. Either way, this is going to take a lot of work to find that password."

"We'll have to come up with a plan." Carmen said, slowly getting to her feet. "I think I'll go wake everyone so we can discuss it. I have a feeling we're going to be flying back to Poitiers to get that password the old-fashioned way."

"What are you going to do with Mime Bomb? Take him with you?"

Carmen shook her head. "Too risky, but I have someone in mind to use as a babysitter."

"Really? Devineaux?" Player guessed. "You think he's going to cooperate with you?"

Carmen smirked. "I'm sure I can persuade him."

Carmen left her bedroom, stretching as she did so and headed down the hall to wake Zack and Ivy. Knocking on Ivy's door, she poked her head into the room as the other girl let out a groan and turned to look up at her.

"We need to plan, Ivy. Player had new intel for us."

"K, k, just a sec." Ivy mumbled.

Carmen then left to head for Zack's room, passing by Shadowsan as she did so.

"Plan time." she told him. "I think we need to go back to Poitiers."

Shadowsan nodded, and turned to head towards the workroom. Not wanting to wake Mime Bomb if she could help it, Carmen quietly opened Zack's door, and slipped inside. As she headed over to shake her friend awake, she noticed the other bed was empty. Frowning, she shook Zack hard who snorted awake, and then immediately glared at her.

"It's too early." he complained.

"Where's Mime Bomb?" she demanded.

Zack glanced over at the other bed. "Bathroom?" he guessed.

Carmen poked her head out of the room, but the bathroom door was open.

"No." Carmen said as Zack sat up.

"You don't suppose he climbed out that little window, do you?" Zack asked, pointing to the chair stacked on top of the desk.

Carmen stared at the window and instantly knew that's exactly what he'd done. Hopping up onto the desk, she stepped onto the chair and then looked out the window. Luckily there was no flattened villain on the ground, but there was no sign of him anywhere.

"He's made a run for it." she commented in annoyance.

Zack was genuinely confused. "But why would he do that?" he asked. "He seemed to understand how dangerous it is for him out there! He could be killed!"

"I have no idea what he was thinking." Carmen said, furrowing her brow. "But it looks like plans are going to be delayed until we find him. We have no idea how much of a head start he has on us. Get dressed and meet us in the workroom. We leave in five minutes to find him."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Chase Devineaux was wandering the streets and had no idea where he was. It was only a little after seven in the morning and he was hopelessly lost. He couldn't figure out how to use the GPS on his phone and so instead wandered along, pretending this was his intention all along. The morning crowds were starting to hit the streets, and Chase impatiently pushed his way down the sidewalk, ignoring the angry comments he received in reply. Chase felt a familiar anxious knot in the pit of his stomach, and he hoped this whole thing wasn't some sort of mean joke. Carmen Sandiego wouldn't be **that** cruel, would she? Remembering his lucky coat (may it rest in peace) he seriously had his doubts.

Chase shook his head. No. He needed this to be real more than anything else. His life had lost all meaning and if he didn't have this mission, then he had nothing at all. Letting out a long and aggravated sigh, he decided he needed coffee and a lot of it. Luckily there was a coffee shop on every street corner, and so he headed for the closest one, feeling irritated and tired.

He almost missed it, but it was the black and white stripes that caught his attention. His gaze fell on Mime Bomb and he rolled his eyes. Ugh, yet **another** street clown. Why did there always seem to be mimes invading his missions? He stared at the mime with a frown, and watched as he bumped into a man, his hand empty one moment but coming back with a wallet the next. In the blink of an eye the wallet was out of sight and the mime was disappearing into the crowd. Chase's eyes widened. A pickpocket! Wait a second...this couldn't possibly be the same mime from San Francisco...could it? As Chase followed the mime, he noted the red hair and thin frame and had a sinking feeling that it **was** the same mime. Remembering how the mime had worked with Carmen in San Francisco, he had a hunch that if he followed the mime, he'd find Carmen Sandiego.

He followed behind the mime for a few minutes, and watched as he entered a coffee shop. Sneaking in behind him, he stood behind a potted plant to observe what the mime was doing.

The barista who approached the counter looked like he hated his own life, dark bags under eyes, mussed hair and unshaven face. He let out a sigh of resignation when he saw the mime, but didn't comment.

"Can I help you?" he droned.

Mime Bomb held up a finger to signify just a moment.

Mime Bomb stared up at the menu board for a few seconds then then began a very elaborate pantomime, doing the best he could with one arm. The barista stared at him in silence and then glanced over to the other barista.

"One grande vanilla bean frappuccino with coconut milk, a banana, two pumps hazelnut and two pumps caramel, cinnamon dolce powder on top."

Mime Bomb gave him a thumbs up.

"That'll be $7.65."

Mime Bomb handed over a stolen twenty dollar bill, and then placed the change in the tip jar.

"Name for the cup?"

Mime Bomb once again did a pantomime and the barista gave a disinterested nod. "Be right up."

Mime Bomb moved down the line and Chase frowned at him. What was that mime planning? Was this coffee shop somehow involved in Carmen Sandiego's plot?

"And what can I get for you, Sir?" the barista asked, turning his attention to the weird guy hiding in the plant.

Chase startled for a moment and then whispered. "Large black."

"What kind of roast?"

"I don't care." Chase hissed back, hoping the mime wouldn't notice him.

"Alright, one Venti black dark roast."

"No, I said a large."

The barista let out a long sigh that spoke volumes of how done he was with all this. "A large black dark roast." he corrected. "That will be $3.35."

Chase handed over a five, his eyes never leaving the mime.

"Name for the cup?"

"Agent Chase Devineaux of Interpol." he responded distractedly.

"Right." the barista replied. "It will be just a moment."

"Mime Bomb?" the other barista called out. "Drink's ready."

Chase watched as the mime was handed a drink, paused a moment to open a straw, then turned to head out the door. Chase took off after him.

"Agent Chase Devineaux of Interpol." the barista called, setting a coffee on the counter.

Chase paused, backed up a step, grabbed the coffee, and then ran after the mime. Deciding now was as good a time as any to confront him, he called after the mime in his most authoritative voice.

"STOP RIGHT THERE, STREET CLOWN!"

Mime Bomb stopped walking and let out a deep sigh of aggravation, not even having to look back to see who it was. Slowly turning to face the agent, he took a sip of his drink, and simply watched the other man storm up to him dramatically.

"YOUR EVIL PLANS WILL GO NO FURTHER! YOU ARE UNDER ARREST!"

Mime Bomb raised a single eyebrow in question as Chase pulled out a pair of handcuffs, and he held up his broken arm. Chase stared at the cast and realized he wouldn't be able to cuff the mime without hurting him. He furrowed his brow, not sure what to do in this circumstance, and scowled.

"WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS, MIME?" he demanded.

Mime Bomb held up his drink, and then took another sip.

"No, I mean **after** your drink, you sneaky clown!"

Mime Bomb gave him a shrug.

"WHAT IS CARMEN SANDIEGO PLANNING?" Chase bellowed out. "WHY DID SHE CALL ME HERE?"

Mime Bomb winced, wondering why Chase yelled practically everything he said.

"WHERE IS CARMEN SANDIEGO?"

Mime Bomb pointed behind the agent, and when Chase predictably turned, Mime Bomb ran for it.

"Where? I don't see-" Chase then let out a roar of outrage, and charged off after the mime who was quickly disappearing into the crowds.

Neither realized they were being watched from across the street.

"El Topo, I just found Mime Bomb. Follow my tracker to locate us." Tigress said into her com, quickly running after the mime. "Where there's a mime, there's a Black Sheep."

When Mime Bomb was certain he'd lost Chase in the crowds, he hid behind a hotdog cart to catch his breath. Quickly finishing his drink, he tossed the cup in the nearby trash bin, and then peered around the cart to see if the coast was clear. He definitely wasn't expecting a hand to suddenly grab his shoulder from behind. Flailing in surprise, looked up into the very angry face of Shadowsan. The older man yanked him to his feet, his grip like steel, and despite struggling against it, Mime Bomb could not break his hold.

"Do you have **any** idea how stupid this was?" Shadowsan hissed. "You could have been killed!"

Mime Bomb shook his head, but Shadowsan didn't care what his excuse was. He dragged him over to a bus-stop bench and shoved him down into it.

"Move from that spot, and you will regret it." Shadowsan promised, tone not to be reckoned with. "I have already called the others, and they will be here to pick us up in just a few minutes."

Mime Bomb tried to mime that he was doing this to protect them, but Shadowsan stopped him before he could finish.

"No excuses." he scolded, taking a seat beside him. "There is **no** excuse for putting everyone through this much worry. It was a foolish thing to do, and you're lucky you weren't hurt. Did you really think we were going to leave you out here to be killed?"

Mime Bomb gave him shrug. Were they really worried about him, or was Shadowsan just saying that? Why would they worry about a villain? Seeing his confused and skeptical expression, Shadowsan let out a sigh.

"I'm sorry I dragged you into this life. This is all my fault."

Mime Bomb was definitely not expecting this and stared at him with wide eyes.

"When I found you on the streets of Paris, I saw the talent you had, but I ignored how recruiting you would ruin your life. I had put up a barrier around all feelings towards my students long ago, and it was never even a consideration. I made the mistake of getting **very** attached to my very first class of operatives many years ago, and I almost felt like they were my children. Within just a few months, most ended up dead, in jail or had their memories erased. It was a devastating blow to me and so for all future classes, I refrained from getting too attached. There is a lot I regret in this life, but leaving V.I.L.E was not one. V.I.L.E poisons the heart, and it will be a long time before I have any hope of amends, but it's not too late for you."

Mime Bomb stared at him in shock, not certain how to react to this.

"What does V.I.L.E have to offer you?" Shadowsan continued. "You know they don't appreciate your talents. They treat you like a joke and you have no future there. You know they will never promote you, and they constantly mock you right to your face as if you can't hear them, as if you aren't a person. Why hold loyalty to someone who doesn't show it back? Make a name for yourself in other ways by joining us. Show V.I.L.E your displeasure by stealing everything they think is untouchable. Show them who you really are, and do it with pride. Carmen, Zack, Ivy, Player and I are a family not made of blood, but a family made of love and respect. We never have to worry about feeling alone, and we never have to question whether we hold any value to our team. This is where I belong, and I believe this is where you belong as well. You are not a cruel person, and I have seen the kindness in you."

Mime Bomb doubted he'd ever felt so flabbergasted in his entire life. Of all the things he expected Shadowsan to say during his lecture, **this** was definitely not part of it. He stared at Shadowsan unable to focus a single thought enough to respond.

"Do not answer yet." Shadowsan instructed. "Take the time to think about what I said, and we will discuss this further at home."

Mime Bomb bit his lower lip, a nervous habit he'd always had, and took a deep breath.

At home.

He was being asked to join Team Red.

Mime Bomb clenched his hand into a fist, and looked away. He didn't know what was real anymore, and he didn't know who to trust. Was Shadowsan telling the truth, or was it all a cruel trick to make him more compliant? He was aware that deep down he knew V.I.L.E had betrayed him, but it was still hard to swallow. He had put all his trust into them, all his loyalty, and they had tossed him aside without so much as a goodbye. Why was Shadowsan saying all this **now** when the whole time Mime Bomb stayed at Carmen's base, Shadowsan had acted cold and angry with him? He'd been certain his former teacher hated him, but everything Shadowsan said sounded genuine.

Mime Bomb didn't have much time to think about this, because suddenly his wrist was handcuffed. Shadowsan jumped to his feet and Mime Bomb looked up into the triumphant face of a certain ex-interpol agent. Chase had handcuffed himself to the villain, ensuring he wouldn't lose him again.

"YOU ARE MINE NOW, MIME!"

Shadowsan relaxed when he saw who it was, but still looked somewhat annoyed. "Chase Devineaux."

Chase glanced over at Shadowsan and narrowed his eyes. "Another associate of Carmen Sandiego?" he questioned.

"Yes." Shadowsan answered. "But this is neither the time nor the place for this conversation. Carmen needs to speak with you."

"All a clever ploy, I'm sure." Chase replied, pulling out a second pair of handcuffs. "You are under arrest as well."

Shadowsan crossed his arms. "Devineaux, you are not going to-"

Shadowsan was cut off mid-sentence when he was suddenly attacked from behind, claws stabbing deeply into his back. Reacting on instinct, he drove his elbow backwards as hard as he could, satisfied with the crunch he felt as his elbow connected solidly with a nose. There was a shriek of agony and then the claws ripped free of his flesh, Shadowsan sinking down to one knee. Glancing behind him, he saw Tigress clutching at her face, blood splattering the sidewalk around. Civilians began shrieking and backing away, and Shadowsan struggled back to his feet, knowing the wounds on his back were pretty bad. Tigress's eyes were murderous as she too got back to her feet, hand still covering her face.

"You'll pay for that." she vowed, wiping the blood from her face.

"Tigress, this will not end well for you. I will not allow you to hurt him!"

Tigress's gaze shifted to Mime Bomb and then to the man he was cuffed to. "Hey, traitor." she greeted.

Mime Bomb simply shook his head.

"Who are **you**?" Chase demanded. "I will not allow you to harm my prisoners! You are under arrest as well!"

Tigress snorted. "Good luck with that."

Brandishing her claws, she lunged forward and Shadowsan dodged her attack, grabbing her by the arm and flinging her into the side of the hotdog cart. Recovering quickly, she scowled and came at him again, swiping with her claws as fast as she could. Although injured, Shadowsan had decades of experience and evaded her attacks, knowing that with the force she was attacking, she'd tire before him.

"Fight me!" Tigress bellowed angrily. "Stop being a coward and **fight**!"

Shadowsan said nothing, and it almost seemed like a dance as he stepped this way and that, Tigress never laying a single claw on him.

"Just like the final exam, old man." Tigress hissed. "Can't keep dodging me forever! My claws will eventually find their target!"

"Unlike the final exam, I am now using my full abilities." Shadowsan retorted, suddenly catching her hands in his. Without another word, he drove his head forward, headbutting her so hard, she fell backwards onto the pavement.

Chase and Mime Bomb had simply stared at the fight, both not sure if they should have been helping or not. Tigress laid sprawled unconscious on the sidewalk, and Shadowsan knelt down beside her.

"Handcuffs." he ordered, holding a hand out towards Chase.

Handing over the second set of handcuffs without protest, Chase watched as Shadowsan cuffed Tigress's hands behind her back, attaching her to the bench, removing her gloves as he did so. It was then that the pavement seemed to explode out from under him, and Shadowsan was thrown backwards as El Topo burst from the ground. El Topo saw the fallen man, and jumped from his hole, claws outstretched for the kill. A boot met the side of his face and he fell, missing Shadowsan completely, and when he looked up, Carmen stood over him.

"LA FEMME ROUGE!"

Carmen glanced over at Chase and then at Mime Bomb, noting the handcuffs.

"Looks like I'm late to the party." she commented. "You alright, Shadowsan?"

Shadowsan was bleeding heavily, and he sunk down onto the bench, breathing unevenly. Before he had a chance to respond, El Topo had kicked Carmen's legs out from under her and was on her in an instant, claws pressed to her throat.

"If anybody tries to stop me, I'll cut her head off!" he snarled. "No one comes near!"

Carmen stared up at him in surprise, this behaviour completely out of character for him. "El Topo..." she began.

"Not a word!" he yelled, pressed the claws down closer. "You're coming with me."

Mime Bomb yanked on his arm and Chase glanced at him with a frown. "No." the detective stated. "You cannot help. What could a street clown do to help? You have a broken arm!"

Mime Bomb yanked again, and Chase let out a sigh, watching the scene before him thoughtfully. He wanted to help, but knew better than to push a villain's anger too far, not wanting him to kill Carmen.

"What is it you want?" Chase demanded.

"**Her**." El Topo replied, pulling Carmen to her feet, keeping his claws to her throat. "Keep the traitor mime if you want, but Black Sheep comes with me."

"El Topo, what's going on?" Carmen asked calmly. "What happened?"

El Topo glanced around at the large crowd of pedestrians and knew they'd broken a lot of V.I.L.E rules during this fight. Not caring, he began dragging Carmen towards the street, knowing his rental car was nearby.

"Release Tigress." he ordered, knowing he was strong enough to carry both girls.

Before anyone had a chance to respond, a red sports car slammed into El Topo, breaking his hold on Carmen and sending him crashing to the ground hard. Carmen looked up and saw Zack grinning at her from the driver's seat.

"Take that, ya creep!" Ivy bellowed out the window, pumping her fist as she did so.

In a tremendous amount of pain, El Topo rolled over and raised a hand to his bleeding head. It didn't feel like anything was broken, but he felt like his whole body was one big bruise. Knowing he was about to lose Carmen, El Topo dug himself under ground within seconds, his arms aching. He burst out underneath her, and she dodged him, lashing out at him with a kick. Ignoring the bloody nose she gave him, he charged at her, claws outstretched and face a mask of determination. His claws caught her shoulder, and the blades came away crimson.

"You shouldn't leave yourself unguarded." El Topo scoffed. "But I suppose I can't really expect much from a traitor."

"Says the coward who attacks from below." Carmen retorted.

"Get him, Carm!" Zack bellowed. "Knock his lights out!"

El Topo was unfazed by her words. "If you're the winner it doesn't really matter **how** you won, only that you did."

The villain took another swing at Carmen, shocked when she easily managed to block the attack and then counteract with a hard kick to the stomach. Carmen had improved a lot since training. Knowing Le Chèvre's life depended on him, he stepped his fighting up a notch, releasing a flurry of blows towards Carmen's face. To his fury, everything he threw at her was blocked, and she lashed out a him, catching him in the stomach. Pausing a moment to catch his breath, El Topo considered her thoughtfully, knowing he would need to change his approach.

Carmen took a step closer to him, her eyes cautious but her movements confident. She launched herself at El Topo without warning, forcing the villain to defend himself. El Topo, surprised by a punch that grazed his chin, took a couple steps back not expecting Carmen's speed. Carmen jumped forward and managed to get him a second time before leaping backwards to avoid the retaliation, and El Topo swore in frustration.

El Topo cracked his knuckles, and then threw himself at Carmen with everything he had. Prepared for this, Carmen used her speed and lithe frame to her advantage to counteract El Topo's muscle. She was still hit several times, but nowhere near as hard as El Topo intended it to be. Carmen had never seen El Topo act like this, and was beginning to feel concern for him. Normally he would never risk his own safety once he'd been injured, but right now he was fighting her tooth and nail.

Carmen got in a few good shots to his stomach, before El Topo finally socked her one in the jaw, knocking the girl to the ground. Carmen paused for only a moment, and then was back on her feet in an instant, ready to defend herself. El Topo charged at her, his expression murderous, and once again Carmen was shocked by the look in his eyes. A strange desperation filled his gaze, and she knew something was definitely very wrong here.

They went blow for blow, neither willing to back down, and El Topo managed to get in a solid kick to her stomach. Carmen hit him twice for his trouble and the boy fell backwards onto several trash cans. El Topo got back to his feet without hesitation and attacked again full force. Carmen decided to end this here and now before someone got seriously hurt. She stepped up onto the bench and then kicked him straight in the face, El Topo crashing to the ground with a sharp cry of surprise. He laid there for a few moments and Carmen took a few deep breaths, hoping this was the end of it. To her surprise, El Topo rolled to his knees and began getting back up.

Just wanting this to end, Carmen pulled her fist back and hit him solidly in the face. The force would have knocked the villain to the ground, but Carmen caught him by the shirt so she could hit him again. She landed three hard punches to El Topo's face, splitting his lip and causing both nostrils to bleed. She gave him a final punch to the stomach, then threw him to the ground, feeling pretty confident this would end the fight. El Topo curled in on himself in pain, and gave a heavy cough, the pain unbelievable.

"There, you idiot." Carmen stated, feeling terrible for hitting so hard. "Are we done now? Ready to talk?"

El Topo suddenly launched himself from where he lay, tackling Carmen to the ground in a flurry of fists and elbows. "I will never give up!" he vowed, hitting her again and again.

Carmen had been caught by surprise and El Topo got in several good shots to her face before she managed to flip the villain off of her. As Carmen got up, she stared at El Topo as the villain rolled out of a pile of trash, also getting back to his feet.

"Antonio, stop this." Carmen ordered. "**Enough**. I don't want to hurt you."

El Topo's response was to charge at her once again.

The villain was beginning to slow down, his injuries affecting him, and Carmen easily side-stepped the attack, taking the opportunity to knee El Topo's stomach good and hard. The villain doubled over in agony, but Carmen forced him to straighten by once again grabbing onto his shirt. She punched him over and over in the stomach and chest being careful avoiding anywhere vital. El Topo dropped to the ground hard, and Carmen waited a moment just to make sure the boy he wasn't too badly injured. El Topo spat a mouthful of blood onto the pavement, gave a heavy groan, and looked up at Carmen.

"Had enough?" Carmen demanded. "Can we just talk for a few moments?"

Defiant brown eyes met Carmen's, and to her complete surprise, he struggled to his feet. What surprised her further was when El Topo held up his fists to continue fighting.

Carmen felt genuinely concerned and annoyed. "Seriously, Antonio? You're **not** going to win this."

Carmen easily blocked the clumsy attacks that came her way, and landed two kicks to El Topo's back. He went down again and Carmen stood over him, getting very tired of this fight. "Antonio, enough is enough. Stop fighting me."

The villain rolled to his feet somewhat awkwardly, and then tried to lunge at Carmen. All she did was step aside and he fell back to the ground.

"Stay down." Carmen ordered. "**Enough**!"

El Topo shook his head and again struggled to his feet. He had to fight, he had to win, he had to save Le Chèvre. Le Chèvre was depending on him, and he couldn't let him down. He made an uncoordinated swing at Carmen who easily dodged it, causing the boy to lose his balance and fall to his knees.

Carmen watched as El Topo managed to get back to his feet, looking like he could collapse at any moment. It was sheer willpower holding him up, and Carmen didn't know what to do. She couldn't bear to hit him again, and felt tears come to her eyes at the sight of him. El Topo had been her friend, her loyal and happy friend, and something had happened to him. What did V.I.L.E do to him? What turned the sweet, and gentle Antonio into this?

"I said to stay down, you moron. You lost, got it? You lost."

El Topo took a wavering step towards her and Carmen felt helpless, knowing he was going to hurt himself. She took a couple steps back.

"Antonio." she begged. "Please just give it up, you're not going to win. The only thing you'll succeed in doing at this point is bleeding on me."

El Topo swung out at her and she took another step back, out of reach, causing the villain to fall flat on his face. El Topo wheezed in pain and exhaustion, but he didn't stop fighting to get to his knees. Carmen watched almost in morbid fascination as the villain twitched and struggled but he couldn't get back to his feet. He wavered precariously for a few seconds, and knew he had lost. Le Chèvre would be killed and they'd never see each other again. He had failed him. He could hear the distant sounds of sirens and knew the police would be there shortly, and he'd be arrested.

El Topo slammed his fists into the ground, an agonized sob escaping him. Carmen was kneeling by his side in an instant, comforting hands on his arms.

"Antonio." she said softly. "What happened?"

"Jean Paul." he whispered, tears making their way down his face.

Carmen glanced around, but saw no signs of the other villain. "What about Jean Paul? Where is he?"

"They took him, Black Sheep. They took him and now they're going to kill him! Jean Paul..."

"Who?" Carmen asked, reaching out to wipe the tears away. "Tell me who."

El Topo squeezed his eyes closed, and took a ragged breath. "Michael Finnegan." he answered. "He took Jean Paul, and he said he would kill him unless I brought you to him alive. I failed, and Jean Paul will die."

Carmen exchanged a look with the others, and then reached out and forced El Topo's chin up so he would look at her. "If you want me to help you, we will need to have a conversation."

"Why would you help me?" El Topo demanded, no hope in his voice.

"I would **never** allow Jean Paul to die." Carmen promised him. "Michael Finnegan is going down, and going down hard. You have my **word** that I'll rescue Le Chèvre, but I'll need your help in order to do this."

El Topo stared at her, not sure he wanted to dare hope. "What do you need me to do?"

"First, we need to get out of here before the police arrive." Carmen answered, turning her gaze to Chase. "Devineaux, you should come with us too. We're going to need all the help we can get. Are you in?"

Chase let out a derisive snort. "Wherever **you** go, **I** will go, Carmen Sandiego."

"Good." Carmen said. "Let's get out of here."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**TBC**


	10. New Alliances

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authornote:
> 
> Holy crap, I didn't realize there were soooo many typos in the last chapter! I proof-read it three times and somehow still missed a bunch! Yikes, sorry about that guys, they've all been fixed now.
> 
> This is another chapter that I don't really like, and so I hope you guys don't find it too boring. It's like 90% dialogue. I'll probably update it a little bit once the story is all finished.
> 
> Only two chapters left to go!
> 
> If you're enjoying the story so far, please let me know your thoughts. I'm open to all suggestions and criticisms as it helps me improve the story.
> 
> Happy Reading!

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**The Silence**

Chapter 10: New Alliances (aka the chapter in which nothing happens)

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The ride back to Carmen's base was awkward and crowded to say in the least. Tigress, El Topo and Devineaux were all blindfolded in the back seat with Shadowsan beside them, and Mime Bomb was squished in the direct center of everyone, and Zack, Ivy and Carmen were in the front. The entire car ride back to base, Mime Bomb was angrily lectured by every member of Team Red, each person letting him know **exactly** what they thought of his actions. Mime Bomb doubted he'd ever been scolded like that in his entire life, and by the time they were finished, he felt about two inches tall. Mime Bomb didn't even try to defend himself, knowing he probably deserved it. It had never even occurred to him that anyone would be worried about him, and he wasn't sure how he felt about that.

El Topo hadn't commented at all during the lectures he overheard, but he did seem rather confused by the whole thing. Although Chase had no idea what was going on, he had nodded along with what the others were saying and was quick to put in his own two cents. Everyone ignored him of course, but the detective never noticed.

Carmen had informed Player to keep radio silence for a while until they were sure the others could be trusted, and so she knew she wouldn't be hearing from him for a few hours. She wasn't going to take any chances when it came to Player, knowing the young boy would be a target if V.I.L.E ever found out about him. She had no doubt he was still watching and listening to everything happening though.

When they arrived to the base, Shadowsan carried the still unconscious Tigress inside while Zack and Ivy carefully helped El Topo limp into the building. Carmen led Chase by the hand, the detective grumbling to himself the whole time about this being some sort of trap. Mime Bomb walked beside them without protest, and Carmen offered him a smile when she saw his troubled expression.

"We will always call out dumb behaviour." she told him. "That's what family does. Normally it's Zack on the other end of the lectures though."

Mime Bomb looked away, still not sure of his response to any of this. Carmen seemed pretty certain he was now on Team Red, but he was conflicted. He really needed time to think about it, but knew they had a lot to do if they were going to take down the Finnegans. He'd have to think about it later.

Come on." Carmen invited, clapping him on the shoulder. "Let's get inside."

Knowing Tigress was going to be problem when she woke, Shadowsan secured her in the basement, while Chase and El Topo were sat down on the couch upstairs. When their blindfolds were finally removed, both men glanced round the room curiously, not seeing anything in the room that hinted at their location.

"Ivy, could you fetch the medical kit?" Carmen asked.

"Sure thing, Carm." the other girl said, jogging out of the room without question.

Carmen approached El Topo and then began looking him over, trying to figure out where he was injured. "Antonio, can you please take off your shirt so I can get a better look?" she asked.

"I'm fine." El Topo responded impatiently. "We need to focus on rescuing Jean Paul."

"You'll be no use to Jean Paul if you're injured." Carmen responded. "Now let me take a look."

Letting out a sigh, El Topo carefully began peeling off his shirt, wincing as he did so. Carmen quickly saw he was covered dark bruises and was bleeding from several small scrapes.

"I'm sorry I had to hit you that hard." she told him softly. "And I'm sorry for hurting you and the others by my betrayal. Losing my friends was the one thing I regret about turning my back on V.I.L.E. I've missed everyone so much."

"You **did** hurt us." El Topo responded, his tone clipped. "And I am not ready to talk about this just yet. Let us rescue Le Chèvre, and then we'll have this discussion."

Carmen nodded. "Fair enough."

Ivy returned with the medical bag and Carmen began cleaning and disinfecting each wound carefully. Just as she was bandaging the last of the cuts, Shadowsan entered the room, looking a little worse for wear.

"You need to get that back looked at." Carmen told him. "I'll help in just a moment."

Shadowsan nodded without protest, simply sitting tiredly onto the floor near them.

"Do you have any injuries, Devineaux?" Carmen asked the detective who had been unusually quiet.

He shook his head silently, a pensive look in his eyes as he watched her work.

"Mime Bomb?" Carmen questioned.

He too shook his head.

"You'll need to be looked at yourself, Carm." Zack pointed out. "Take a seat and let one of us take over for you."

Carmen immediately shook her head. "No, I'm the only one of you besides Shadowsan that has any sort of medical training. I'm not hurt too badly, and it can wait a few minutes."

When the last bandage had been applied to El Topo, the villain mumbled his thanks, and leaned back on the couch looking exhausted. Shadowsan stripped his bloodsoaked shirt, and when he turned to show her the damage, everyone gasped at the sight of the wounds. When Tigress had stabbed him with her knife-like claws, it had left ten perfect stab wounds, all of which were bleeding heavily.

"Oh, Shadowsan!" Ivy gasped. "We need to get him to a hospital!"

"No." Shadowsan responded. "No hospital. Just stitch the wounds closed, and I'll be fine. I've had much worse."

Carmen placed a hand on his back, frowning at the blood uncertainly. "I don't have any anesthetic." she stated.

"I will be fine." Shadowsan answered. "Zack, fetch me the bottle of Sake I have in my room. It's in the closet, inside a black shoebox."

"You drink by yourself in your bedroom?" Zack questioned jokingly. "Do you need to talk to us about something?"

"I store it there to keep foolish children out of it." Shadowsan responded impatiently.

"Sure, sure." Zack answered, shooting the older man a wide grin. "There **are** AA meetings here in San Diego, you know."

Shadowsan sighed but said nothing more, and so Zack hurried off down the hall to do as he was told.

"Make sure to thoroughly disinfect everything before you begin." Shadowsan said, turning his attention back to Carmen. "How are you going to keep your hand steady to do the stitches with that wound on your shoulder? Your hands are both shaking."

"I'm not sure." Carmen responded, already getting a sterile cloth to begin cleaning the back. "I just wish there was another person with some medical training that could help me for a minute. I'll just have to do the best I can."

Mime Bomb knelt down beside her, and he reached for the bottle of disinfectant. Cleaning his hands thoroughly, he then reached for the needle and thread she had prepared. Carmen stared at him in surprise and then suddenly felt very dumb. Mime Bomb had gone through the exact same training she had. Of **course** he could help do this. She hadn't even considered him, and for that she felt guilty. Everyone always seemed to overlook and ignore him, and she knew it wasn't fair.

"Sorry." she whispered. "I forgot you could help."

Mime Bomb didn't look offended, his attention fully on the task before him. He watched as Carmen finished disinfecting the back, and by this time Zack was back with the bottle of Sake. Shadowsan uncorked the bottle, took a very long drink, and then nodded at them to begin. Threading the needle, Mime Bomb poured a bit of disinfectant on it, and then with deft hands, he began stitching the wounds closed. Carmen wiped away the blood as he worked, and Shadowsan didn't move a muscle the entire time. His broken arm was a hindrance, but Mime Bomb managed a decent enough job one-handed, and Carmen offered him a smile of thanks. When Mime Bomb was finished a few minutes later, Carmen cleaned the back one last time, and then covered the wounds with bandages. Shadowsan gave them both a nod of thanks, and then moved himself to the nearby armchair, letting out a deep breath of relief.

Mime Bomb began looking at Carmen's bleeding shoulder, the coat shredded where El Topo had clawed her.

Carmen removed her coat and shirt, revealing a tank top underneath, and she sat back to allow Mime Bomb to work. After he inspected the wound for a few moments, he reached over, took the bottle of Sake and pressed it into her hands. Carmen turned confused eyes to him.

"What?" she questioned.

He mimed taking a drink.

"Why would I-" she cut off in realization. "I need stitches."

Mime Bomb nodded, and began cleaning her shoulder as Carmen hesitantly lifted the bottle to her lips. The Sake was positively foul, and it burned the whole way down her throat, and Carmen gagged, feeling like she was going to be sick. The alcohol seemed to churn in her stomach, and she held a hand to her mouth, trying to fight the queasiness. This was her first taste of alcohol, and if **this** was how it all tasted, it would also be her last.

"It helps if you don't breathe through your nose." Chase commented, this being the first thing he'd said since entering the base.

Seeing that Mime Bomb was now threading the needle, she took another long chug, following Chase's advice. The Sake was working quick on her empty stomach, and within just seconds she began feeling a bit hazy. Wincing when the needle pierced her skin, Carmen stayed as still as she could, glad when it was only a few stitches and not an entire back-full like Shadowsan. Mime Bomb slapped a bandage over the tiny patch of stitches, and then wiped his bloody hands off on a rag.

"Thank you." Carmen told him, moving to sit on the couch with Zack and Ivy. Feeling eyes on him, Mime Bomb looked up and made eye contact with El Topo. El Topo was staring intently at Mime Bomb with narrowed eyes, but he didn't comment. Instead, the villain turned to Carmen.

"How are we going to rescue Le Chèvre?" he asked. "I don't know how much time I have before the Finnegan's kill him."

"I will explain to you everything we know, and then you do the same." Carmen instructed. "Once we have all the facts, we can figure out the best way to rescue him."

El Topo nodded.

Chase and El Topo listened with rapt attention as Carmen told them everything that had happened so far, including what the Finnegans had done to Mime Bomb. El Topo stared at Mime Bomb in horror, terrified of the same thing happening to Le Chèvre. He looked the mime up and down, knowing how close the other villain had come to dying in the hospital. El Topo had been the first choice for the hard drive pick-up from the Finnegan's, and if he hadn't have gotten delayed on his last mission, he would have been in Mime Bomb's position. V.I.L.E would have put out a hit on him, and he'd probably be dead by now. Mime Bomb had never betrayed them, but there was no way V.I.L.E would ever believe him. The mime had no choice but to either hide or join Carmen's team.

"I am sorry this happened to you." El Topo said to Mime Bomb, not sure what else he **could** say. "And I am sorry we tried to kill you."

Mime Bomb averted his gaze, and El Topo had no idea what the other villain was thinking about. Was he angry? Hurt? Embarrassed? Mime Bomb had always been a mystery to him, one he'd ever explored very much because Le Chèvre hated him so much. He wasn't sure what Mime Bomb had ever done to make the other man hate him so much, but El Topo had never questioned it.

"Now," Carmen said, her own story coming to an end. "How did you two get wrapped up with Michael Finnegan?"

"Because of my own stupidity." El Topo said with a sigh. "Jean Paul didn't trust the Finnegans at all, but I talked him into it like the idiot I am. It's because of me he was captured."

Carmen furrowed her brow, but didn't interrupt as he continued. Everyone listened in silence as he told them what had happened, and by the time he was done, El Topo looked exhausted and incredibly upset. Carmen reached out and took his hand, giving it a firm and reassuring squeeze.

"It's not your fault." she told him. "The only ones at fault are the Finnegans and V.I.L.E. They are the ones who put you in this position, and they are the ones responsible. We will get Le Chèvre back."

"How?" El Topo asked, not sounding very confident.

"Call the Finnegans and tell them you found me."

El Topo's eyes widened. "What?!"

"Tell them you found me, but need a few days to capture me. Assure them that I'll be be hand delivered to Michael Finnegan, and they don't have to worry. This will give us a few days to heal."

El Topo saw the logic in this and nodded.

El Topo nodded and pulled out his phone. Dialing Le Chèvre's number, he waited and waited as the phone rang and after twenty rings, the phone was finally answered.

"Yes?" Came the voice of Michael Finnegan Sr.

"I have found Carmen Sandiego." El Topo said, his voice sounding strong and confident.

"Have you captured her?" Michael Finnegan asked, sounding surprised.

"Not yet. She has a whole team protecting her, and this will take some careful planning. I will need at least a week to observe her patterns and make the plan."

"A week is too long." Michael Finnegan responded. "I am not a patient man, and I'm not used to waiting. A week is unacceptable."

"Five days then." El Topo compromised. "Just five days and you'll have Carmen Sandiego bound and gagged on your doorstep."

"I'm going to start cutting off fingers if you keep me waiting too long." Michael Finnegan warned. "Right now, your precious little goat is relatively unharmed, but that can quickly change. Five days is **all** you're getting, and you have until 10pm Poitiers time on the fifth day to have her delivered. Every hour you're late I cut a body part off the goat."

"Let me talk to him." El Topo ordered.

"I don't think I will." Michael Finnegan responded. "He's been difficult lately, and I don't think he deserves it."

El Topo's eyes darkened. "Let. Me. Talk. To. Him." he bit off, tone going dangerous. "I want proof he's alive."

Michael Finnegan sighed. "If you insist."

There was a shuffling sound as the phone was passed from one person to another.

"This is Michael Jr." said a new voice on the phone. "I'm walking the phone to him now."

El Topo waited impatiently as he heard Michael Jr making his way through the building to wherever they were keeping Le Chèvre. After what seemed an eternity, he finally heard someone swearing in French in the background.

"Shut your mouth!" Michael Jr. snarled. "Say one more word I don't understand and I'll cut out your tongue."

"A word you don't understand?" came Le Chèvre's haughty voice. "That would be any word more than one syllable."

"**Shut it**!" Michael growled, clearly fed up with him. "Your boyfriend's on the phone. You better not tell him anything you're not supposed to, or I'll shove this knife so far up your ass, you'll be tasting metal!"

There was another shuffling sound and then suddenly Le Chèvre was on the phone. "Mon ami?"

"And keep it in **English**," Michael Jr. ordered. "The call is on speakerphone."

"Yes, it's me, Mi amigo." El Topo confirmed. "How are you? Have they been feeding you enough? Have they hurt you?"

"Non, I am fine." Le Chèvre replied. "Other than dealing with a brain-damaged ape pretending to be a man, it hasn't been too bad."

"Keep pushing me, goat, just keep pushing and see what happens!" Michael snarled in the background, "I'm sick of dealing with your stupid comments all day!"

"Perhaps you should not call others stupid when your own I.Q is equivalent to that of a potato." Le Chèvre responded.

There was some loud cursing in the background, but Le Chèvre ignored it. "Where are you, Antonio? Are you safe?"

"Yes, I'm safe." El Topo answered. "I will be there to get you soon."

"Do not take risks for me."

"It's alright, I have the help of an old friend."

"Who?" Le Chèvre asked, sounding confused. "Tigress?"

"Tigress is here as well, but our old friend Black Sheep is helping me capture Carmen Sandiego. She is helping us deliver her to the Finnegans in five day's time."

Le Chèvre went silent for a very long moment. "This is not a good idea." he finally responded.

"It is the only way." El Topo assured him. "Black Sheep will do everything she can to get you out of there and she has a very good plan set up. I feel she can be trusted."

Le Chèvre went silent again. "This is dangerous." he stated. "You promised me you wouldn't do anything dangerous."

"There are many things you don't know about, things that have changed." El Topo responded, unable to tell him more. "All that I ask is for you to trust me. Can you do that for me, Mi Amigo?"

"Of course I trust you." Le Chèvre answered, his tone a little strained. "I just don't trust Black Sheep."

"Everything will work out." El Topo promised. "Just five days and we'll be there to get you. Just trust me for five days, and we'll be together again."

"Okay, enough." Michael said impatiently, "I don't want to listen to this mushy crap. Phone call's over."

El Topo glanced over at the others in the room and then lowered his voice to a whisper. "Te amo, Jean Paul."

Le Chèvre's answer was faster than the last time they spoke. "Je t'aime, Antonio. Je t'aime."

When the call ended, El Topo looked up with a large smile. "He's alright!" he told everyone. "They haven't been hurting him!"

Carmen gave him a wide smile. "That's fantastic!" she told him. "Don't worry, we'll get him back soon!"

El Topo looked incredibly happy, but it was clear the exhaustion of the fight was quickly catching up to him.

"Let's get you to bed so you can rest up and heal." she told him. "You can rest easy knowing that in five days, the Finnegans are going down."

El Topo accepted her help to get to his feet, and she led him down the hallway, showing him into one of the guest rooms.

"Thank you, Black Sheep, er-I mean Carmen. Thank you for helping me with this."

"You are my friends, even if it's only me who still thinks that way." Carmen answered. "Now, get some rest."

When Carmen got back to the living room, she was met with the sight of a very pensive Chase. The man was pacing back and forth in front of the couch, his eyes distant, clearly lost in thought. This was so unlike him, that she wondered if she should be concerned.

"Devineaux?"

"I need to think about these new facts for a while." he responded, not stopping his pacing. "You are all still criminals, and I haven't decided what I'm going to do yet. I should be arresting you, but..."

"Take your time." Carmen told him kindly. "If you have any questions, just ask."

Chase nodded, but didn't answer.

"What are we going to do about the sociopath in the basement?" Zack asked.

"Tigress will not be happy when she wakes." Shadowsan stated.

"First I'm going to go check and make sure she's not hurt, but the rest depends on her." Carmen replied, heading for the basement. "Be right back."

As soon as she was gone, Ivy glanced over at her brother. "I'm gonna throw a load of laundry in, go put your scuzzy clothes in the bathroom."

Zack rolled his eyes and got up. "Yes, sister mine." he muttered, heading off to gather his dirty clothes.

Ivy turned her gaze to Mime Bomb. "Okay, look, I was told not to say anything because it would be rude, but it's starting to get a bit ridiculous. You've been wearing those same clothes for like four days now. If you wear them for much longer, you're going to start smelling like a gym sock. We have other clothes you can borrow, you know."

A slight look of panic entered Mime Bomb's eyes and Ivy crossed her arms. "You can keep the shirt, I'm not going to to take it back, but please **please** put your clothes in the washer before I gag."

Mime Bomb didn't move, his body posture quickly becoming tense. Ivy's expression softened.

"Is it because you don't want to take off your mime costume?" she guessed.

Mime Bomb gave her a very slight nod.

"Does it make you uncomfortable to be without your costume?"

Another nod.

"Why?"

Mime Bomb looked away.

Ivy frowned, not understanding, but willing to be patient. "How about if you go look in our closets for something you can wear?" she offered. "Take whatever you want. I'm sure you'll be able to find stripes somewhere."

Mime Bomb gave her a skeptical look.

"No one will care, I swear." she said, glancing over at Shadowsan. "Right, Shadowsan?"

"Take only clothes." Shadowsan warned him. "Touch anything else in my room, and we will be having a serious discussion about respect."

"I fixed Tigress' broken nose." Carmen interrupted as she entered the room. "She's still unconscious though."

"Carm, you don't mind if Mime Bomb borrows your clothes, right?" Ivy asked her.

Carmen seemed surprised. "Of course not, why?"

"He's going to finally let me wash his clothes." Ivy answered, giving Mime Bomb a meaningful look.

"Oh." Carmen replied, giving Mime Bomb an apologetic smile.

"ZACK?" Ivy bellowed in the direction of the bathroom.

"WHAT?"

"CAN MIME BOMB BORROW SOME OF YOUR CLOTHES?"

"YEAH, BUT NOT MY SPORT'S JERSEYS."

Carmen simply shook her head, wondering how El Topo was enjoying his attempt to sleep.

"There you go, no excuse." Ivy informed Mime Bomb. "Now go put those clothes in the washer before I decide to Febreze you."

As Mime Bomb slunk out of the room, Carmen noticed the tips of his ears were bright red in embarrassment.

"You could have been a little nicer about it." Carmen stated, once he was out of earshot.

"Subtlety wasn't working." Ivy responded with a shrug. "I already have one dirty brother, and I don't need another one."

Ten minutes later, Mime Bomb re-entered the room, wearing a grey striped sweater and black pants.

"You are going to roast." Ivy pointed out. "We're in California!"

"Wait a second." Chase said, his pacing finally stopping. "How does all this connect with Carmen Sandiego's thefts?"

"Oh, this will just take a minute to clarify." Zack said, plopping down onto the couch. "I'll explain everything to you."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Tigress let out a groan of pain, her whole body stiff and aching. Slowly cracking open her eyes, her vision swam before finally coming into focus. The first thing she saw was Carmen kneeling in front of her. Immediately trying to lunge at the girl, she was startled when the ropes that bound her jerked her back into place. She stared at the ropes, and then at the pole she was tied to, her anger growing by the second. Struggling like a wildcat, she let out a howl of outrage when she couldn't break free.

"Untie me, you traitor!" she snarled. "I'm going to claw out your eyes and make you eat them!"

Carmen turned to someone she couldn't see. "Yeah, she's fine."

Tigress glanced around and saw she was in some sort of poorly lit basement. "Where am I?" she demanded. "Where's El Topo?"

"He's recovering from the fight." Carmen explained, kneeling down in front of her.

Tigress's eyes widened. "What did you do to him?! I'll **kill** you if you hurt him!"

"He'll be fine in a few days." Carmen responded. "Just bruised up a bit. He'll want to talk to you when he wakes."

Tigress struggled against the ropes, her eyes burning with unbridled fury. "You always screw everything up!" she snarled. "You have no idea what you've done! You've ruined **everything**!"

"Le Chèvre will be fine, Tigress." Carmen informed her kindly.

Tigress froze, definitely not expecting this. "How do you know about Le Chèvre?!" she demanded, her eyes narrowing his suspicion. "Are you involved with the Finnegans?! What did you do to El Topo?!"

"El Topo told me what happened to Le Chèvre." Carmen told her calmly. "He explained everything that happened, and my team is going to help him take down the Finnegans. We'll get Le Chèvre back safe and sound."

"How stupid do you think I am?" Tigress snapped. "El Topo would **never** work with a traitor like you! Untie me **now**!"

Carmen shook her head. "I'm afraid I can't untie you yet." she said, sounding apologetic. "Once El Topo wakes, he'll come down and speak with you. Until then, you'll have to be patient."

Letting out a furious howl, Tigress thrashed against the ropes, wanting nothing more than to sink her claws into Carmen's throat. Carmen watched her for a moment, and then straightened up, and turned away, knowing the other girl wasn't going to listen.

"I'll be back shortly to check on you."

Even after Carmen left the room, Tigress continued to howl in rage. Mime Bomb, who was lurking out of sight, watched her for a moment and then followed after Carmen, not wanting to be anywhere near Tigress when she was this angry.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Chase Devineaux crossed his arms, still not sure he believed a word these criminals were telling him. First, they had blindfolded him as they brought him to their secret lair, and now they actually expected him to believe Carmen Sandiego wasn't the monster he'd been after all this time. A.C.M.E had of course told him all about V.I.L.E, but he'd never actually been sure the elusive evil empire really existed.

"Everything I've been investigating Carmen Sandiego for was actually caused by V.I.L.E?" he asked skeptically.

"**Yes**!" Zack said, getting frustrated. They'd been going around this same circle for two hours now, and still the agent didn't look like he believed him.

"Carmen has been returning the stolen property to where it belongs." Shadowsan explained. "She does not steal from anyone other than thieves."

Chase frowned. "I don't think this is right..."

"What is it you're confused by?" Shadowsan asked. "Perhaps I can explain whatever it is in more detail for you."

"If Carmen Sandiego was raised by this evil organization, why would she not believe in evil as well?" Chase demanded. "Wouldn't they have brainwashed her into thinking their cause was right?"

Shadowsan nodded. "It was I who saved her from that." he explained. "I convinced the other faculty that a small child would never be able to keep the secret of who V.I.L.E really were. We kept it from her, and she believed her whole life that V.I.L.E were thieves and thieves only. She was never subjected to any of the evil deeds we were responsible for, and this is what preserved her innocence. She developed a healthy sense of empathy and kindness, and she never even suspected what we were up to. When she found out who V.I.L.E truly were, she couldn't join them, and knew they had to be stopped at all costs. She turned her back on V.I.L.E and have been fighting them ever since."

Chase furrowed his brow, looking stubborn. "I find this difficult to believe. This goes against all my investigations."

"Look, man, Carmen is **not** a villain!" Zack protested. "Just get to know her a little, and then maybe you'll see for yourself."

Chase scratched at his chin thoughtfully. "I will observe her for a while." he finally relented. "When and **if** Carmen Sandiego shows her true colours I will either arrest her, or help her do good."

Zack let out a groan. At least it was progress. "Why did Ivy get the easy job?" he whined at Shadowsan. "She got to go shopping!"

"You volunteered for this." Shadowsan replied. "We now have eight people we have to feed, and she went to get supplies."

"Why are you not worried I'll betray you?" Chase asked, looking genuinely curious.

"You're not the one we have to worry about." Zack told him. "No, **that** would be the sociopath we have locked in the basement."

Shadowsan looked troubled. "Tigress is going to be a problem." he admitted. "She has always disliked Carmen, and was very jealous of her. She will be causing us a lot of problems..."

"Tell me again about this Michael Finnegan." Chase interrupted. "I want to do my own research about him."

Zack let out a loud groan, and then began explaining the whole thing over again from the beginning.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**TBC**

**Soooo, I'm kinda thinking about writing a bunch of Carmen Sandiego one-shots once this story is finished. Would anybody read that, or would you guys prefer another long story?**


	11. Tigress

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authornote:
> 
> Only one chapter of this story arc left to go! I already have an idea for a second arc, and so there's more to come soon! lol
> 
> If you're enjoying the story so far, please let me know your thoughts. I'm open to all suggestions and criticisms as it helps me improve the story.
> 
> Happy Reading!

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**The Silence**

Chapter 11: Tigress

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Tigress kicked and struggled, but no matter how much she fought, she couldn't break the ropes that bound her. Her face was aching, and her nose felt stiff and she couldn't breathe through her nostrils. Hoping her nose wasn't broken, she let out an angry scream, knowing she was going to claw Carmen Sandiego right in the face first opportunity she had. She wasn't certain how long she had been in the basement, but after what seemed an eternity, she heard someone coming down the stairs. A curse already on her tongue, he paused when she saw it was El Topo. The other villain looked tired, and he was moving stiffly, but he still offered her a gentle smile.

"Hola." he greeted her as he approached.

"Antonio, what's going on?" she demanded. "Untie me!"

El Topo slowly knelt down in front of her, his expression turning troubled. "I need to tell you some things, mi amiga, and I need you to promise that you'll listen."

Tigress narrowed her eyes. "...what have you done?" she demanded.

El Topo hesitated, and fury filled Tigress' eyes.

"Did you betray us?" she hissed, tone going dangerous. "Did you join Carmen Sandiego? Was that little wretch actually telling the truth?!"

El Topo averted his gaze and Tigress exploded in anger.

"How **dare** you!" she snarled. "How **dare** you betray me after everything I've done for you! I've risked my life to help you, and you're tossing me aside like a piece of trash! We were friends, Antonio, **friends**! Does that mean nothing to you?"

"No, I would never turn my back on you." El Topo protested. "Just let me explain."

"**NO.** I don't care what you have to say!" Tigress bellowed, struggling against the ropes. "I am sick of everyone and their constant betrayals! I should have known better than to have friends, I should have known better than to trust you..."

Tigress' eyes were bright with unshed tears and El Topo felt terrible. Lurching forward, he threw his arms around around her in a hug, not wanting to lose her as a friend.

"I'm sorry, mi amiga, I'm so sorry." he told her. "I have not betrayed you, and I was hoping you would join us. We are going to rescue Jean Paul and we could really use your h-ahhh!"

El Topo jerked back as Tigress sunk her teeth into his throat and he clapped a hand to his bleeding neck, staring at her in shock. Spitting out a mouthful of blood, she stared at him with such hatred, he was taken aback.

"I will **never** join Carmen Sandiego, and I'd rather die than sink so low. I hate her with every fiber of my being, and you know this. You are an embarrassment, El Topo, and you should be ashamed of yourself. You're turning your back on everything we believe in!"

"Tigress, I-"

"Save it." Tigress snapped. "You're no friend of mine, you traitor. You'll have to either kill me or set me free because I will **never** join you, and I will never help Carmen Sandiego. You are dead to me, Antonio. **Dead**."

El Topo stared at her with wide eyes, swallowed heavily and then turned and left the basement without another word. Once he was gone, Tigress couldn't stop the tears from flowing, angry at herself for her own weakness. She shouldn't care about anyone else, she should bury all her emotions like a good soldier, but the betrayal stung deeply, and she squeezed her eyes closed, trying her best to hold back the sobs that threatened to overtake her. She had trusted El Topo with her life, and he had betrayed her without a second thought. Why did this keep happening to her? She had no friends left, and the emptiness that settled in her stomach felt like a black hole, only getting bigger the more she thought about it.

Letting out a scream of anger and frustration, she struggled against the ropes until she felt her wrists begin to bleed. It was at that point, she allowed her sobs to overtake her.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Carmen looked up as El Topo returned from the basement looking completely heart-broken. He took a seat on the sofa and then clutched at his head, trying his best to fight the tears. Carmen was by his side in an instant, puling his hands away in concern.

"Antonio?" she asked. "What happened?"

Carmen's gaze fell on his bleeding neck and she inspected it with concern. "Is that a bite-mark?!" she cried. "Did Tigress **bite** you?!"

"She hates me." El Topo told her miserably. "She wouldn't even listen to me."

Carmen took a seat beside him, and put an arm around his shoulders. "Sheena has always been prone to overreact." she told him. "Give her time to calm down, and I'm sure she'll listen to what you have to say."

"I don't think so." El Topo responded miserably. "Sheena is loyal to V.I.L.E, and she hates being betrayed. She thinks I've abandoned her."

"You know that's not true, and we just have to show her." Carmen told him "Sheena is stubborn, but she's not beyond reason. We'll bring her around, Antonio, we just need to be patient."

There was a loud and angry scream from the basement and both glanced over.

"Really patient." Carmen added.

"I was extremely hurt when you left V.I.L.E, and now I've done the same thing to Tigress. I just don't know how to make things right with her..."

"Shadowsan and I are going to be untying her arms to make her a bit more comfortable. After she calms down, try again and if that doesn't work, try again after lunch. Don't give up on her. We'll get her to understand."

El Topo didn't look convinced, but he nodded all the same. "I will try again soon."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Tigress stared angrily down at the ankle shackle she'd been outfitted with, and gave it a pointless tug. She had nothing to pick the lock with, and there was no way to break such a thick chain. The chain had just enough slack to reach the nearby bathroom, but not enough to reach the tool-shelves on the other side of the basement.

She was glad to be untied, but was still filled with such a fury that she wanted to rip someone's head off. Everyone seemed to be keeping their distance from her right now, and she figured that was probably for the best. Taking a seat on the mattress they'd dragged downstairs for her, she punched the pillow, imagining it to be Carmen's face. She then punched it a second time imagining it to be El Topo's face, then a third and then a fourth. She attacked the pillow angrily, hitting it over and over, letting all her frustration out with such vigor, the pillow burst, sending bits of fluff in all directions. Breathing heavily, she looked up and nearly had a heart attack when she saw Mime Bomb sitting on the floor to her left, simply watching. She hadn't heard him come down the stairs, and she wondered how long he'd been there. She noted the tray of food he held, and despite herself, her stomach gave a loud growl.

"What are **you** staring at, you freak?" she snarled.

Mime Bomb didn't react to her words, simply watching her in silence which irritated her even further.

"Get away from me!" Tigress ordered, aiming a kick in his direction. "**Freak**!"

To her annoyance, he was sitting just out of her reach.

"I always knew you couldn't be trusted." she hissed at him. "You were a pathetic and weak little dork during training, and I should have beat on you even harder than I did. I don't know what V.I.L.E were thinking allowing someone like **you** in their ranks. You were nothing but a weak and embarrassing blight in our class, and I regret pitying you. I should have destroyed you from the moment you put on that stupid mime makeup. I hate traitors, and I am going to tear you limb from limb the second I'm free."

Mime Bomb blinked, cocked his head to one side, but still didn't give her much of a reaction.

"When did you decide to betray V.I.L.E?" she demanded, narrowing her eyes at the mime. "Were you a plant right from the start, or did you turn on us later?"

Mime Bomb still did not move, and Tigress found herself getting angry.

"ANSWER ME!" she ordered.

Mime Bomb simply stared at her.

"Oh, that's right." Tigress replied in a mocking tone. "The freak of nature **can't** speak. I knew you were trash from the moment I laid eyes on you. You were just a skinny, pathetic little nerd with braces and freckles who hid in the back of the class practically radiating loneliness. No one even noticed you were there, and the teachers never even bothered calling on you. You're just a pathetic nobody!"

Mime Bomb blinked, looking a bit upset over her words, and so Tigress persisted, wanting to hurt him as much as she could.

"No one wanted to be friends with you, no one wanted to study with you, no one even wanted to stand **next** to you. You were so butt-hurt over this, you started tattling on us to the teachers like the weasel you are. Poor little weird kid, poor little mute, poor little **freak** that **never** should have been admitted in the first place."

Mime Bomb gave a slow shake of his head, but Tigress ignored him.

"Don't think I never noticed you crying in your bed at night, you pathetic wimp. You never belonged at the academy, and you **knew** it. The faculty probably only kept you enrolled out of pity, because what use were you to them? Sure you spied for them occasionally, but what value does that really hold? Who honestly cares what students are doing? The faculty only kept you for their own amusement. Why else would they keep a **mime** at V.I.L.E? You're a **joke**, Mime Bomb, and a traitor, and I'm **glad** V.I.L.E ordered you eliminated. One less creepy freak around. Now, how about you give me that tray and get lost before you contaminate it with your freakishness?"

Mime Bomb stared at her, expression unreadable.

"Well, **freak**?" Tigress demanded. "What do you have to say about **that**?"

Mime Bomb frowned at her, and then to Tigress's surprise, he picked up the sandwich from her tray, took a large bite out of it, and then dropped it back onto the tray. He then shoved the tray towards her, and got up to leave, using just one finger to tell her exactly what he thought of what she said.

"HEY!" Tigress bellowed after him. "You can't do that!"

Mime Bomb ignored her and disappeared upstairs. Tigress scowled after him and then looked down at her food tray. In hindsight, it probably wasn't very smart of her to mess with someone in charge of feeding her. Tigress had perfected bullying to an art over the years, and she knew exactly what to say to get under people's skin. She thought saying these things to Mime Bomb would release a bit of her frustration and anger, but it hadn't worked, and now she was left once again by herself. Staring down at the lunch, she saw it was completely vegetarian, and wondered who it was that remembered she didn't eat meat. El Topo **always** forgot, and she doubted Mime Bomb or Shadowsan would know that about her. That left Carmen. Tigress scowled, but her stomach gave another impatient growl, and she once again looked down at the food.

Picking up the avocado and cucumber sandwich, she hesitantly brought it to her mouth, ignoring the fact it was already missing a bite. She almost expected it to be tampered with, but it tasted fine, and so she wolfed down the sandwich, reaching for the bag of potato chips next. Just as she was finishing the last chip, she heard footsteps on the stairs. Knowing Mime Bomb walked silently and it wasn't him, her attention immediately went to the staircase suspiciously, but then she scowled when she saw it was El Topo.

Looking away from him, she opened the bottle of water on the tray and took a sip. El Topo slowly approached, his expression wrought with worry, and he knelt down beside her, not saying a word. After a minute or so, Tigress glanced at him, saw his expression and glared at him.

"I'm sorry." El Topo whispered to her. "I didn't take your feelings into account when I acted, and I'm sorry. All I was thinking about was rescuing Jean Paul, and I shouldn't have made this decision without speaking to you first. I'm truly sorry, mi amiga."

Tigress said nothing, simply tossing the water bottle aside.

"You are my friend." El Topo assured her. "My very best friend, and I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you. Let me tell you what happened, and maybe you'll understand why I decided to do this."

Tigress slowly turned to look at him. "Antonio?"

"Yes, Sheena?" El Topo responded, feeling hopeful.

Tigress' chain was suddenly around El Topo's throat, and he let out a gasp of surprise, clawing at the chain to no avail. Tigress tightened her grip, and El Topo couldn't breathe, struggling uselessly to get away from her. Tigress held the chain as tightly as she could, and El Topo realized she was truly going to kill him. He lashed out at her desperately, but she was out of reach and his chest burned with the need to breathe. As he struggled and fought to get away, his vision started to darken around the edges, and he looked up into Tigress' face, seeing the raw fury in her eyes. As he fell unconscious, he felt certain this was the end for him.

He wasn't expecting to come to a little later, his throat burning, and his eyes watering. Slowly opening his eyes, he saw his head was laying in Tigress' lap and she was sobbing, her hands covering her face.

"Sh-Sheena?" he whispered up to her.

Tigress didn't even look at him. "I'm such a coward." she stated. "I couldn't do it, I couldn't kill you."

Taking a deep breath, El Topo reached out and clasped her hands in his. Tigress turned a tear-filled gaze to him, and he slowly sat up, pulling her into a hug. She lashed out at him a couple times, which he stoically took, and then she lost all fight. Unable to stop, she found herself crying into her friend's chest, feeling nothing but self-loathing for herself. El Topo said nothing at all, simply holding her tightly, and patiently waiting for her to calm down. Finally, after several long minutes, Tigress raised her head and laid her forehead against El Topo's.

"Why?" she asked, sounding completely defeated.

"I had no other choice." El Topo said softly. "V.I.L.E left me with no other choice."

Tigress said nothing and so El Topo began telling her everything he knew about the Finnegans, and about the fact it had almost been him in Mime Bomb's place. He explained how V.I.L.E was always so quick to toss their operatives aside that they never even investigated, and how they would **never** try to rescue Le Chèvre. He explained everything he could, and Tigress said nothing at all while he spoke. When he finally finished, Tigress slowly pulled away from, stared at him long and hard, and then turned away from, laying down on the mattress. He set a hand on her shoulder, and when she didn't push him away, he edged a bit closer to her.

"You are my family, Sheena, and no matter what, you always **will** be. Sometimes families fight, and that's okay, it's normal. You are my sister, and I will never betray you. Please just try to understand why I had to do this."

"I want to be alone." Tigress said, her tone sounding flat and tired.

El Topo gave her a nod. "I will come see you again after supper." he promised, picking up her empty tray. "Just think about what I said, and when I return, we can have a conversation."

Tigress gave no indication she was going to answer and so El Topo brushed her hair out of her face with his fingers, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Everything will be fine. I'll be back shortly."

Tigress listened as El Topo clomped his way back up the stairs, and she hugged her arms to her chest, having no idea what to think. Wiping bitterly at her eyes, she took a deep breath, and considered El Topo's words. He wasn't the best at explaining what he meant, but she could see things from his perspective. He truly did believe he had no other choice. She knew El Topo would do anything to save Le Chèvre, and that included betraying V.I.L.E. If El Topo left V.I.L.E, Le Chèvre was sure to follow his lead. Would the faculty even believe her if she went back to them, or would they just automatically assume her guilt like they had with Mime Bomb?

Tigress knew Mime Bomb had gone through horrendous torture in the name of V.I.L.E, and now the faculty were trying to kill him without any investigation. He hadn't betrayed them at the time, but was left with no choice when V.I.L.E ordered his execution. It could have been **any** of them in that situation, and that left an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. Would V.I.L.E have ordered her execution as well? She, who had shown nothing but unquestionable loyalty? Feeling a little bad for the way she'd spoken to Mime Bomb, she let out a heavy sigh, and turned her attention to her shackles. What was going to become of her? What was going to become of **any** of them?

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

When El Topo came out of the basement, everyone else was gone from the living room except for Ivy who was busy repairing some sort of invention.

"El Topo, what happened to your neck?" Ivy cried out, the moment she saw the bruises. "Did Tigress do that to you?!"

"It's fine." El Topo responded, taking a seat on the sofa. "We had a bit of a scuffle."

"A scuffle?" Ivy echoed skeptically. "It looks like she tried to strangle you!"

"...she did." El Topo admitted, looking tired.

Ivy's expression hardened. "I'm going down there and giving her a piece of my mind!" she vowed.

El Topo reached out and caught her by the wrist before she could even take a step. "No, it's over now, Ivy." he assured her. "She won't attack me again."

Ivy gave him an uncertain look, but nodded, taking his word for it. "I should tell Carmen about this..."

"Tigress didn't mean it, she just loses control of her temper." El Topo defended. "It will only make matters worse if someone tries to confront her about it. No one can force her to change her mind about this, she has to do it on her own."

Ivy took a seat beside him, still staring at his neck in concern. "What happened down there? Mime Bomb came up looking absolutely furious, and then you were down there for ages!"

"I don't know what Mime Bomb's problem is, but Tigress and I had a lot to discuss. After our fight, I finally got her to listen to me. I explained everything I know to her, and now all I can hope is that she chooses to help us instead of remaining with V.I.L.E."

"Do you really think she will?" Ivy asked, not really believing it.

"...I don't know." El Topo admitted. "I really don't know."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Tigress laid on the mattress in complete silence for several hours, running everything through her mind over and over again. Everything felt overwhelming and unbelievable, and she wanted to simply dismiss it all. No matter how many times she tried to push past her misgivings of V.I.L.E, El Topo came to her mind. He was many things, but never a liar. She knew in her heart he had told nothing but the truth, and that was what she found so distressing. She loved being a V.I.L.E operative, lived for it in fact. She felt powerful, and important during her missions, the thrill of the thefts she committed giving her a rush of gratification more powerful than any drug could. Without V.I.L.E, she was simply Sheena, the pretty, spoiled rich girl who liked to shoplift. At the academy, she had found purpose, but she had also found family. Her friends had made her feel accepted, and she never once questioned her place among them.

El Topo, Le Chèvre, Crackle, and even Black Sheep had become the family she valued more than her real one. She saw Le Chèvre as an snotty older brother who was always disapproving of everyone and everything, whereas El Topo was the gentle and fun-loving brother she could always depend on, and Crackle was like the wise-cracking smart-ass little brother she liked but was also annoyed by. Although they had fought like cats and dogs, she had viewed Black Sheep like the immature, irritating little sister who was always tagging along with her. A nuisance perhaps, but she didn't necessarily hate her. That was until Black Sheep betrayed them. The betrayal had felt personal, and Tigress had cut off all feelings towards the other girl, angry and hurt by what happened. She knew she had teased the Black Sheep, but they had also got along well at times, including each other in their mischief and fun. Now the rest of her family was leaving her in the same fashion. Crackle was gone forever, Black Sheep had betrayed them, and now Le Chèvre and El Topo were following suit. It was be just her left at V.I.L.E with no one she could trust or depend on.

Tigress frowned, and ran a hand through her blond hair irritably. Could she really attack Le Chèvre and El Topo if V.I.L.E ordered it? Could she return to the organization that was so willing to toss them all aside? Tigress had no idea what to do.

Smelling something unusual, she turned around and saw a new tray of food was sitting beside her mattress. She hadn't heard anyone come or go and so she knew it was Mime Bomb. Glancing around, she saw the mime was already long gone, and so she hesitantly reached out and picked up the tray. It didn't look like he touched her food this time, and she inspected her supper, seeing it appeared to be a Japanese bento box. Picking up a vegetarian sushi roll with the chopsticks provided, she knew it was probably Shadowsan who had made this. Did he make all the meals, or did Team Red take turns? She'd hate to try anything Black Sheep made, knowing the other girl had never cooked in her life. Tigress thought about it for a moment and realized she'd never cooked anything before either. She had always had servants that prepared whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted, and she knew her childhood wasn't exactly the norm.

As she started on some sort of seaweed salad, she heard steps coming down the stairs. Looking up, she expected it to be El Topo, but she scowled when she saw it was Carmen. Setting her food aside, and crossed her arms and watched as the other girl approached. Carmen looked a little uncertain, but she still offered Tigress a smile.

Tigress said nothing as Carmen lowered herself down to take a seat next to her, but her eyes were guarded.

"How are you feeling, Sheena?" Carmen asked, sounding genuine.

"Fantastic." Tigress snapped. "Never better. Being chained in a basement is **exactly** how I thought my day would go."

"Look, Sheena, I know you and I have had our differences, but things are more complicated now. Can we set aside petty school rivalries, and just have a conversation, adult to adult?"

Tigress let out a long and irritated sigh, and turned to stare at Carmen, blue eyes narrowed. "Fine." she answered to Carmen's surprise. "It's not like I have much of a choice anyway."

"Antonio really cares about you." Carmen told her. "He doesn't want to lose you."

Tigress didn't answer, and so Carmen hesitantly continued.

"You are my friend, Sheena, and even if you don't feel that way in return, I will always think of you as my friend. We went through a lot together during training, and I've missed you a lot."

Tigress was definitely not expecting this and stared at her with wide eyes. "What kind of garbage are you spouting?" she snapped. "You betrayed us without a second's hesitation. You didn't even tell us you were having any doubts about V.I.L.E. Did it never occur to you that we could have helped you get past your reservations?"

Carmen shook her head. "I didn't **want** to get past my reservations." Carmen responded. "I was through with V.I.L.E the moment I found out they not only stole treasure, but lives as well. V.I.L.E hurts a lot of people, and I couldn't be a part of that."

"Oh, get over yourself, princess." Tigress snapped. "We all did what we had to."

Carmen frowned at her. "You pretend you're a cold and heartless person, but you're not. You may bully people, but I know you've never killed anyone. None of you have."

Tigress let out a snort. "And you know this how?" she demanded.

"I may have left V.I.L.E, but I've never stopped caring about my friends. I've been keeping an eye on you guys since the day I left, and none of you have ever committed a murder. The newspapers would have reported it if anyone ever got seriously hurt. None of you are evil, and I really don't think you belong with V.I.L.E."

"So, what, you want me to join **your** side?" Tigress said, voice dripping in disdain.

Carmen nodded. "Yes."

Tigress was not expecting her to be this direct, and blinked in surprise. "Are you serious?"

Another nod. "Yes."

"Why in hell would I **ever** join you?" Tigress snarled.

"I know you don't show it, but you cared for us too. We want our family to be complete, and that includes you. I want all of you with me, all of my friends on my side. I don't want to fight you anymore. I just want things to return like they were."

Tigress looked away. "That ship sailed long ago. Things will never be the same again."

"Maybe not, but they could be **better** than before." Carmen retorted. "I want us to be together again, and someday I hope to bring Crackle home as well. He may not remember us, but he's still the same fun and goofy guy. We can create **new** memories, and we can be a family again."

Tigress clenched her hands into fists, still not looking at Carmen. "You are asking me to become a traitor."

"I am asking you to stay with us, to be a part of our lives once again." Carmen replied, resting a hand on Tigress' knee. "We want you here, we want you to join us."

Tigress felt frustrated and she glared over at the other girl, wondering if she could get away with punching her in the face. The sweet and innocent look on Carmen's face was just screaming for a good hit. Carmen must have realized her intentions, because she slowly stood back up, and crossed her arms.

"Just give it some thought." she instructed. "We will release you in the morning, and from there it's up to you."

Tigress brows rose in surprise. "You're letting me go?"

Carmen nodded. "If you choose to return to V.I.L.E, we'll release you on the outskirts of the city and you can arrange a pickup. If you choose to stay with us, you'll join us upstairs."

"That sounds like a really stupid plan." Tigress pointed out. "I could report everything I know to V.I.L.E."

"It's the chance we'll have to take. You can see this as me offering you an olive branch."

Tigress frowned at the other girl and had no idea how to respond to this.

"Just think about it." Carmen requested, heading for the stairs. "Antonio has been really worried about you, and he'll be down later to talk to you."

Tigress watched as Carmen left the basement, and now she had even more feelings of uncertainty. Clutching at her hair as she let out a deep and irritated sigh, she stared down at her half-eaten supper. She had lost her appetite and she pushed the tray aside, simply choosing to flop down on the mattress instead. Staring blankly at the wall, she considered what Carmen had said. She couldn't deny what Carmen said made sense, but a small part of herself just wanted to be stubborn and angry. Tigress made it a point to never forgive people who betrayed her, and now this was exactly what Carmen was asking her to do. Carmen was offering her the freedom to choose, and she could return to V.I.L.E if that's whats she really wanted. Tigress rubbed her eyes, feeling a headache starting to form. **Was** that what she wanted? The thought of working with Carmen turned her stomach, but what was left for her at V.I.L.E?

A few minutes later, she heard heavy footsteps coming down the stairs, and she knew without turning that it was El Topo.

"Mi amiga?" El Topo whispered. "Are you awake?"

She ignored him and closed her eyes. He approached and shook her shoulder a few times, but when she didn't react, he simply let out a sigh, picked up her supper tray and left the basement. Tigress did not sleep that night, her mind plagued by thoughts of everything Carmen and El Topo had said. She went over everything in her mind dozens of times, and felt like she was no closer to an answer. She didn't want V.I.L.E to find El Topo, but she also knew she'd have no choice but to tell them everything. V.I.L.E would certainly order a hit on all of her former friends, and she would probably have her memories erased. She wouldn't remember her friends, and she'd be back in Los Angeles with her parents. It would be like none of it ever happened.

In the early hours of the morning, Mime Bomb set a tray of breakfast near her, gave her a glare and then left again without waiting for her to say anything. Her stomach was in knots and she ignored the tray, simply turning towards the wall tiredly. An hour or so after that, she heard footsteps coming down the stairs, and she knew it was El Topo.

"Sheena?" he asked.

She didn't answer, and a moment later she heard him shuffle over so he could see her face. He silently took a seat beside her and she shifted slightly so her head was resting on his knee.

"Have you given what I said some thought?" he asked hesitantly, using his fingers to brush her hair out of her eyes.

"Yes." Tigress answered, her voice emotionless.

They sat there in silence for a few minutes, as El Topo waited for her to continue. When it was clear she wasn't going to say anything else, he glanced down at her uneaten breakfast.

"You didn't eat." he said worriedly. "Did you not like it? I can get you something else if you like?"

Tigress shook her head. "It was fine." she answered. "I'm just not very hungry."

"Everything will be alright, Sheena." he assured her. "Whatever you decide, I will support you. I will understand if you choose to return to V.I.L.E, and I won't be upset. No one can make this choice for you, it is entirely up to you. You will always be my best friend no matter what you decide."

"Antonio?"

"Yes, mi amiga?"

"You're a dork."

El Topo laughed, and glanced down at her, the barest hint of a smile on Tigress' face. "I suppose that's fair." he answered, shaking his head.

"V.I.L.E is going to come after us." Tigress said, sounding resigned.

El Topo's eyes widened. "Us?" he questioned hopefully.

Tigress smiled up at him. "Yes, us."

El Topo yanked her up into a bone-crushing hug, and Tigress let out an indignant squawk as she struggled to get away. El Topo didn't release her, and so she gave up, letting out a sigh as she allowed him get the hug out of his system.

"Thank you, Sheena, thank you!" El Topo whispered. "It will be a lot better from now on, just wait and see! Once Jean Paul is with us, we'll be a family again."

"I still feel like this is a mistake." Tigress admitted. "But at least I won't be alone."

El Topo gave her one last squeeze and then released her, immediately crawling over to where she was shackled.

"Er, are you supposed to be releasing me this soon?" she asked.

"Don't care." El Topo replied. "You would never betray me, and so we have nothing to worry about."

Tigress couldn't help the warm feeling that welled in her chest at those words. The complete trust he had in her was incredible, and to her surprise she realized his words were true. She would never betray her family. The shackles fell away from her ankle, and El Topo helped her to her feet with a wide smile.

"Things might be difficult at first, but I'm here for you." he assured her. "Let's go tell the others the great news!"

Tigress felt rather uncertain as she was tugged in the direction of the stairs, hoping things wouldn't be too awkward. Allowing El Topo to lead her by the hand, they walked up the flight of stairs and entered the living room upstairs. Zack and Ivy were yelling at each while playing air hockey, Carmen was having a conversation with Shadowsan and Chase off to one side, and Mime Bomb was sitting on the sofa quietly reading a book. Everyone froze what they were doing at the sight of Tigress, and the room quickly descended into silence. Luckily it was El Topo who broke the silence by flashing a bright smile at everyone in the room.

"Tigress is going to join us." he announced. "She is now part of Team Red."

Tigress felt overwhelmed as everyone immediately began welcoming her, and excitedly talking with one another, and she looked around for an escape. Seeing the one person she could count on not to talk to her, she took seat next to Mime Bomb. He side-eyed her as she settled down, and Tigress remembered the horrible things she had said to him earlier. Not sure what to say, or how to apologize, she glanced around and her eyes fell on a marker sitting on the coffee table in front of them.

"Oh! No one has signed your cast yet." she said, reaching out to take his arm. "Let me be the first."

Mime Bomb looked like he wanted to yank his arm away from her, but instead he warily watched as she uncapped the marker and then began writing on the side of his cast. When she was done, he turned his arm so he could see what she wrote. He stared at the words for a few moments, his expression softening.

'_I'm sorry for what I said. I was wrong. Every team needs a mime. Get better soon-Sheena_'

Tigress averted her gaze away from him, and a second later Zack grabbed the marker from her.

"Oh man!" he cried out excitedly. "I can't believe I forgot to sign this thing! Give me your arm, Mime Bomb!"

Mime Bomb held out his cast, and Zack immediately got to work. This seemed to be what shattered the awkwardness in the room, and soon everyone else was waiting for their turn with the marker, smiles and laughter all around. Slowly Tigress began to relax, and she looked around at the faces of those around her. This was her team, her new family. It wouldn't be easy, but she felt confident she had made the right choice.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**TBC**

**Only one chapter left! It's going to be an extremely long chapter and so it will take a little longer to write. Depending on how carried away I get, it could take me a week to finish.**


	12. Nightmares and a Private Jet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authornote:
> 
> I lied. This is not the last chapter.
> 
> The final chapter ended up being so unbelievably long that I had to break it up into two parts. Part one is over 7000 words, and part 2 is even longer. I'll be posting part 2 in just a couple days.
> 
> If you're enjoying the story so far, please let me know your thoughts. I'm open to all suggestions and criticisms as it helps me improve the story.
> 
> Happy Reading!

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**The Silence**

Chapter 12: Nightmares and a Private Jet

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Chase was beginning to wonder why he was ever invited to join Team Red. It had been two days since he arrived, and other than him learning a great deal about Carmen and her crew, he didn't understand his purpose. The others all had some sort of specialty when it came to criminal activity, but he was just an Ex-Interpol agent. What did they gain by including him in all this? What could he even do to help? He wasn't the most athletic of people, he didn't own a gun, and his sneaking skills left a lot to be desired. Even the mime had gone through special secret training at V.I.L.E, and it left him feeling a bit inadequate.

The others had been discussing in depth how they were going to infiltrate the Finnegan building, but he wasn't included in any of it. He just sat there while they talked around him like he wasn't even there. He tried offering his own suggestions, but he had no experience in these types of things, and so his ideas were shot down every time. The blond-haired girl, Tigress, kept making snide comments about him being bait, and after a while, he began wondering if she was right. What if this **was** just an elaborate ploy to make him the bait for their mission? He knew he and Carmen had been on opposite sides for the last couple years, and maybe she was finally going to get rid of him? The Finnegans seemed to be extremely dangerous people, and they likely wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone they deemed a threat. Would Carmen really do something so heinous?

Chase stared at Carmen with narrowed eyes, trying to come to a conclusion. She'd been nothing but kind to him so far, and that in itself was suspicious. People were never nice to Chase Devineaux, they were abrupt and impatient with him. He stared at the blueprints everyone was huddled around, and he scratched his chin, wondering how to broach the subject of him being bait. Starting to feel a familiar agitation build within him, Chase pulled out a roll of mints and popped one in his mouth. He then popped a second one in, then a third and then a fourth. Mime Bomb, who was seated next to him on the sofa, eyed him for a moment and then mimed smoking a cigarette.

Chase gave him a nod. "Quit over a year ago, but I still get the cravings." he explained. "The mints help."

Mime Bomb gave him a nod, and then turned his attention back to what the others were saying. Chase popped a final two mints in his mouth, and then let out an aggravated sigh, the feeling of unease only increasing. Perhaps he should report this situation to Interpol, and arrest the whole room of criminals? The Finnegans should definitely be taken down, but were criminals really the best ones to do it? Surely a law-abiding organization would be a better choice? He was sure Interpol or A.C.M.E would be **very** interested in the billions of funds the Finnegans had been funneling through the black market. He would be commended for his efforts and his job would be reinstated. For once he would be the hero instead of the failure they saw him as.

Chase bit down on a mint hard enough to crunch it, and he slouched in his seat, trying to come to a decision. If he chose to leave instead of being bait for them to toss aside, would they really allow him to go? He knew too much, and he would be a threat to them. They wouldn't chance the possibility of him ruining their plans. The longer Chase considered this, the more angry he became, and he clenched his fists, just wanting an answer one way or another.

"LA FEMME ROUGE!" Chase bellowed as he jumped to his feet.

Everyone in the room nearly jumped a mile, all eyes going to Chase in complete shock.

Carmen stared at him, observing the wild look in his eyes and gave him a confused look.

"Yes, Devineaux?" she questioned.

"Why have you brought me here?" he demanded, swinging his hand around in a circle to indicate the base. "Why did you contact me? Why are you including me in all this when you do not even require me? You dragged me here all the way from France, and WHY? What do I possibly have that you need?"

Carmen turned her eyes to Tigress. "You told me you explained everything to him."

"She **did**!" Chase yelled out. "She told me how you're planning on using me as bait to get inside the building, and how I'm going to be killed! She explained how I'm just the useless cannon fodder!"

"SHEENA!" Carmen snapped, glaring at the other girl. "I asked you to do **one** thing!"

Tigress rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

Carmen let out a deep breath, and turned her attention back to Chase. "You're not bait." she assured him. "Just calm down and I'll explain why I asked you to join us. I thought you'd already been told, and I apologize."

"I have nothing to offer this team." Chase argued. "There is nothing **I** can do that you can't."

Carmen placed a hand on his arm. "That's not true. I need you for something **incredibly** important, something none of us can do."

Chase crossed his arms and gave her a skeptical look. "Oh? And what is that?"

"Everyone in Interpol and A.C.M.E knows your face." she stated. "There's likely not a single person who doesn't know who you are."

Chase furrowed his brow. "Yes, so? I have worked for Interpol for over twenty years, and so it's expected that I'm known."

"No one would even question your presence if you walked in through the front door, and **this** is what we need. We need you to infiltrate both Interpol and A.C.M.E and get our tech guy access to their servers."

Chase's eyes widened. "WHAT?"

"Interpol and A.C.M.E have the most secure servers on this planet and hacking in will take far too long. If you make it to the server rooms, you just need to plug our tech guy in and he can do the rest."

"Why would I **ever** give a bunch of criminals access to the world's most secure information?!" Chase demanded. "Do you have **any** idea how serious a crime that is?"

"There are V.I.L.E plants in both Interpol and A.C.M.E, and we need to weed them out if we're going to collapse the Finnegan empire. If we don't find out who they have on the inside, they can undo all the damage we cause before the Finnegans face any repercussions. There are still hints of Russia being somehow involved with the Finnegans, but it's too hard to trace. We will have to investigate this more thoroughly after we take down the Finnegans. I'm worried that whoever this Volkov company is, they're the ones really pulling the strings. Once we infiltrate the Finnegan building, we're going to release a large information packet to every newspaper in Europe. Every person connected with the Finnegans will take a fall, and there will be nothing they can do to hide the information."

Chase stared at her like she was crazy. "If I did that, not only would my career be over **permanently**, but I would face life in prison!"

"Weren't you like already fired?" Tigress demanded, curling her nose up in disgust.

Chase blinked at her in surprise. He hadn't told anyone he'd been fired, and despite himself, his face quickly reddened. "Just a temporary setback..." he argued.

Tigress sensed weakness and went in for the kill. "No, Carmen said your supervisor wrote a very nasty review of your job performance and you've been blacklisted from all branches of Interpol. A.C.M.E fired you too, didn't they? You'll never be able to work for either organization ever again."

Chase looked at Carmen with wide eyes, realizing she knew more about his firing than he did. This explained why he hadn't heard back from any of the job openings he'd applied for through Interpol. His inexperienced, fresh-out-of-college supervisor had ruined any chances of him ever returning to Interpol. Over 2 decades of experience gone down the drain in an instant. Chase clenched his hands into fists and looked away, feeling completely humiliated.

Carmen placed a hand on his shoulder. "We can wipe that letter out of your file." she informed him.

Chase's attention snapped to her in an instant.

"When our tech guy has access to their servers, he can wipe anything negative out of your employment file. You'll have never been fired, and no one will ever know. After this mission you can return to Interpol and be a field agent again...if that's what you want."

Chase frowned. "But my supervisor..."

"He'll suddenly find himself transferred to Paducah, Kentucky." she answered.

Chase longed for his old job back, but knew the risk was tremendous. "You're asking me to commit...what is the word in English? I think it is the same...Espionage! I will be committing espionage."

"For the best possible cause." she assured him. "You know what the Finnegans have been doing to people, and taking them down will save thousands of lives. All the stolen money will be able to be returned to the people who need it most."

Chase frowned at her. "Even if I did agree to this, I no longer work for Interpol. I'd never be allowed into the building where the servers are kept."

"I doubt anyone knows you've been fired besides your supervisor and the HR department." Carmen told him. "You haven't been gone that long, and from what I understand Interpol holds employee's privacy very seriously. No gossiping allowed."

"My keycard would have been deactivated by now." Chase pointed out.

"Our tech guy can activate you one."

Chase was seriously conflicted. Could he really allow criminals to gain access to servers full of sensitive information? What if they were lying and were going to use the information for nefarious purposes? What if someone got hurt because of his actions? Chase frowned. Yet again, if he did nothing to help, a lot of people would be hurt as well. He'd looked through the reports showing all the children that ended up starving to death after a series of orphanages had been closed down. The amount was staggering, and Chase felt like he would be personally responsible if he didn't at least try to help.

"Let me talk to this 'tech guy' of yours so I can determine if he is a trustworthy person." Chase ordered. "Then I will think about it."

Carmen gave him a nod of agreement. "Okay, Player, go ahead and break radio silence. You can speak with Devineaux."

There was a slight crackling over the base's speakers and then a child's voice spoke up.

"Yo." he greeted. "My name is Player and I'm Team Red's tech guy."

Chase didn't know how to react to this. "Why is there a tiny child on your intercom?" he demanded in outrage.

"I'm not **that** tiny." Player grumbled. "I'm almost five feet tall."

El Topo and Tigress exchanged a surprised look, this being the first time they heard Player speak.

"How about if you explain to Devineaux everything you're planning for the mission in the other room, and we'll get back to these blueprints?" Carmen suggested.

"Sounds good, Red." Player agreed. "Devineaux, let's speak privately in the kitchen and I'll tell you everything."

Chase squinted up at one of the speakers, but did turn to leave the room. "Just how old are you?" he demanded as he headed towards the kitchen.

"We should focus on the plan." Player said evasively. "Let me explain everything I've cooked up so far."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**12 hours remain**

Carmen stared at the plane, unable to stop the feelings of nervousness she always got before a mission. No matter how many times she did this, she always felt the same anxiety and the same fear. If anything went wrong, her friends would be the ones to pay the price. Ivy threw an arm around her shoulders, and Carmen relaxed, giving the other girl a smile. Carmen glanced back at her team as they piled out of the car, taking note of the fact Mime Bomb looked like he was barely awake.

"You awake, Mime Bomb?" she called back jokingly.

He made a so-so motion with his hand, and then stumbled past her towards the plane. Carmen laughed knowing the 1:30am flight was a bit late for most of her teammates. Everyone had been complaining adamantly about the middle of the night flight all afternoon.

Zack glanced at Mime Bomb and then paused beside Carmen, leaning in to whisper in her ear.

"He didn't have a good night last night. He barely slept again. He slept for about twenty minutes in the car, and that's it."

Carmen frowned. "Nightmares?" she questioned.

Zack nodded. "Bad ones. I think they're getting worse."

Carmen shot Mime Bomb a worried look. "Do you think it's because we're going back to Poitiers? Because we're confronting the Finnegans?"

"I don't know." he said. "I want to help him, but I don't know how."

"I'll mention it to Shadowsan." Carmen whispered. "He has more experience with this than any of us."

"Wait, is this private jet for **us**?" Tigress demanded, genuinely surprised.

"Sure is." Player answered into her com. "Paid for by V.I.L.E of course."

Tigress was instantly indignant. "You guys were flying around in a private jet while we were slumming it with a crappy cargo plane?!"

Zack shot her a look of incredulity wondering in what universe a private cargo plane was considered 'slumming it'. He had never even flown in a plane before meeting Carmen.

El Topo gave an impressed nod at the plane, but didn't comment, simply heading for the airstairs, carrying their bags.

"So...this is paid for with money stolen from V.I.L.E which they stole from innocent people?" Chase questioned, furrowing his brow.

"That about sums it up." Player replied.

"Using stolen funds is illegal." Chase pointed out disapprovingly. "The funds are supposed to be turned over to Interpol."

"V.I.L.E would just steal it right back." Player pointed out. "We donate almost all of the funds to charities, so we know the money is actually going towards something good."

"Hmm." Chase responded, looking skeptical.

He didn't say anything more, simply heading towards the plane. There was no doubt in Player's mind that this would not be the end of this conversation. Once Chase got an idea in his head, it was nearly impossible for him to let it go. He was still hesitant about the plan, but Player had talked him into it over the last two days. The thought of getting his old job back, and helping a lot of people was what made him finally give in.

The pilot was the same one from before, and he watched as the eight passengers filed onto the plane, not commenting on the odd costumes and equipment he saw. Once his passengers had settled, he headed for the cockpit without a single word to anyone. He reminded Carmen of Boris and Vlad, the academy's cleaners, and wondered what his story was. It wasn't exactly normal to be that nonchalant about this sort of situation.

"Who's our pilot, Player?" she asked, buckling her seatbelt as the plane began to move. "Can he be trusted?"

"He's a freelance pilot who works for very exclusive clients." Player responded. "Not much is known about him, other than his reputation for being discreet with his clients. The type of clients who pay **very** handsomely to remain anonymous."

"Ah." Carmen said, nodded. "Gotcha."

The last few days had done everyone a world of good, and their bruises and injuries were barely a problem anymore. Although a bit sore, El Topo was ready for anything, knowing that in just a few hours they'd be in Poitiers to rescue Le Chèvre. As the plane ascended, El Topo relaxed and flashed a smile over at Tigress who was frowning in Mime Bomb's direction. The Mime had both hands pressed to his ears, and Tigress stared at him, having no idea if he was trying to mime something.

"What's **your** problem?" she demanded.

Zack glanced over at his friend. "Your ears bothering you already?" Zack asked him in surprise. "We've barely left the ground!"

Mime Bomb simply nodded with a wince, the air pressure always something he hated about planes. Tigress rolled her eyes and then let out a sigh, reaching into her bag to rummage for something. A moment later, she tossed a pack of gum at him.

"Here." she said. "Chewing a piece of gum will help."

Surprised at the little show of kindness, Mime Bomb accepted the gum without question. Popping a couple pieces of gum in his mouth, he was relieved when it did help a bit with the pressure. He gave Tigress a nod and tossed the pack of gum back over to her.

"It's a ten hour flight, so everyone should use this time to get some sleep." Carmen advised, adjusting a pillow behind her head. "It's going to be a long and interesting day once we arrive. We should arrive a little after 8pm local time."

Yawning tiredly, El Topo nodded his agreement and grabbed a pillow, settling himself on the couch beside Tigress and Mime Bomb. Everyone else was in agreement as well that taking a nap sounded fantastic, and so they were quick to grab pillows and make themselves comfortable. It didn't take long for the cabin to be filled with loud snores, the loudest of all, Ivy, who snored loud enough to echo around the entire plane. Tigress was not used to the noise and she struggled to get to sleep, frustrated, and wondering if she could gag the other girl with something. Letting out an irritated sigh, she snuggled into her pillow, doing her best to ignore the din around her. She was just starting to drift off to sleep when she felt a dead weight settle against her side. Opening an eye, she glanced beside her and saw Mime Bomb had slumped against her in his sleep, his head resting on her shoulder. Instantly annoyed, she took her elbow and jabbed him sharply in the side to wake him up.

Tigress was shocked when Mime Bomb's reaction was immediate and violent. He lashed out at her in a blind panic, throwing himself off the couch as he did so, his back hitting the coffee table and sending a fruit bowl shattering to the floor. The glass cut his arm, and he threw his arms up over his face to protect himself from some unseen threat, his entire body shaking in terror. The commotion woke everyone up and when Zack saw the state Mime Bomb was in, he rushed over to him without hesitation. He pulled Mime Bomb away from the broken glass on the floor, struggling against the thrashing and fighting, unable to hold him down. Carmen and Ivy rushed to help him, and when they had him away from any immediate danger, Zack began shaking Mime Bomb's shoulder and calling his name.

Mime Bomb kicked and struggled against them, his eyes squeezed closed in terror and tears streaked his makeup, the mime trapped in the nightmare he was having.

"MIME BOMB!" Zack bellowed in a panic. "Buddy, wake up! You're safe, wake up!"

Mime Bomb's eyes finally opened, and he went still, his gaze focused up on Zack. Unable to stop the tears, he buried his face in Zack's shirt, silently sobbing as Zack shot an accusing look at Tigress.

"What happened?" he demanded.

Tigress stared with wide eyes, her nose still bleeding from when Mime Bomb had struck her, but she made no effort to wipe it away. "I-I didn't mean to!" she insisted.

"What did you do?" Zack said, eyes narrowing.

"He was sleeping on me, and so I elbowed him off. I didn't know it was going to do this, I swear! I didn't even do it that hard!"

Carmen frowned at the other girl, but she seemed genuinely shook and so Carmen knew she was telling the truth. She handed her a tissue. "Your nose is bleeding." she told her.

Carmen then scooted a bit closer to Mime Bomb and laid a hand on his back, causing a violent jerk of fear.

"You're okay." she assured him. "It was just a dream. No one is going to hurt you here, you're safe."

Zack was clearly used to this routine because he simply sat patiently, holding his friend as he cried, looking worried, but not letting it show in his voice. He whispered a mantra of calming words, and eventually Mime Bomb seemed to be hearing the words. When the thief was slightly calmer, Shadowsan approached and knelt down beside him.

"Mime Bomb?" he said in a gentle voice.

Mime Bomb shifted slightly so he was looking up at his former teacher. Shadowsan held out his hand which contained two pills.

"I won't force you, but I think you should take these." he suggested. "They will help calm you down. We still have a long flight, and you should try to get some sleep. You won't have any dreams with these sedatives. You're exhausted, and you can't keep going on like this. Please take them."

Mime Bomb stared at the pills for a few moments, and then reached out his good hand to take them. Ivy cracked open a bottle of water and passed it over, Mime accepting it stoically. He popped the pills in his mouth, took a sip of water, and then averted his gaze, clearly embarrassed.

"Come on." Carmen invited him, holding out a hand. "Let's get you back to the couch before those kick in."

Mime Bomb wouldn't move, and Zack gave her a worried look, knowing whatever nightmare Mime Bomb had must have been a doozy. The villain had a vice-like grip on Zack's shirt, and his breathing was still uneven and panicked. Tigress was feeling really guilty over having caused this, but was trying not to show it. She had no idea Mime Bomb would react in such a way, and crossed her arms defensively. Her first instincts to everything was always to lash out, but it was clear Mime Bomb didn't react well to being hit.

Unable to pry him away from Zack, Shadowsan had no choice but to look over Mime Bomb's injured arm where he was. Rolling up his sleeve, he saw the cut wasn't very deep and after disinfecting it, Shadowsan bandaged it, knowing the injury wouldn't affect the use of the arm. The sedatives didn't take long before they started to work, and after just a few minutes, Mime Bomb's grip on Zack began to loosen, and he was a lot calmer than before.

"Come on, buddy, let's get you somewhere more comfortable." Zack said, carefully prying the mime off him.

Mime Bomb didn't resist, and so Carmen and Zack helped him to his feet. They walked him back to the couch, and he was almost asleep by the time they got him settled. Despite being under the affects of the sedatives, he was still stressed and he curled into a fetal position on the couch, looking miserable.

"Sorry." Tigress said, glancing down at him with a frown. "I suppose I just overreacted when you touched me. I won't hit you again, I promise."

Mime Bomb gave no indication he heard, and just a few minutes later, his eyes closed as the sedatives overtook him. Once it was clear he was asleep, Zack took a seat next to him, looking worried. He didn't say anything, but it was obvious he was apprehensive.

"He **is** getting worse." Carmen stated.

Zack simply nodded.

"Carm, do you think he'll be okay during the mission?" Ivy asked. "What if he has a panic attack right in the middle of the mission?"

"Just let him sleep, and maybe that will be enough for now." Carmen replied. "If he hasn't been sleeping, that may have been why it was so bad this time."

Shadowsan looked thoughtful for a few seconds as he stared at Mime Bomb, and then he let out a sigh. "Ivy is correct." he stated. "Sending him anywhere near the Finnegans is too risky. I should have realized he wasn't ready for this. It will be in his best interests if we cut him from the mission altogether."

Carmen remembered how upset Mime Bomb had been when he'd been cut out of his first V.I.L.E mission and she shook her head. "No, we can't do that to him." she protested. "He wants to help, and if we exclude him, it will be just like what we did to him during training. Excluding him will shatter any trust we've built with him."

"Carm, I'm sure he'll understand." Ivy stated.

"If he has an episode like that during the mission, he not only puts himself at risk, but Le Chèvre as well." El Topo commented, looking apologetic. "We need to cut him from the mission. I will not risk it."

Carmen knew the others had a point, but she couldn't help but feel guilty. It wasn't Mime Bomb's fault he was having a hard time, and now he was going to be excluded because of it. How would she even explain this to him without it seeming like she was being cruel?

"He's going to be really upset." Carmen said with a sigh. "I wish there was something I could do to help him."

"Has the clown been to see a psychiatrist yet?" Chase asked, frowning down at Mime Bomb.

Carmen shook her head. "No."

"You told me that he was starved and tortured for three entire days, and none of you thought he might actually need a doctor?" Chase demanded, furrowing his brow. "Interpol has sent me to many doctors over the years. When you're a field agent, you tend to see things you'd rather not."

"We've had a hectic few days." Carmen replied. "There's not many places we can bring a criminal mime without gaining unwanted attention."

Chase had battled many issues over the years ranging from depression to addiction and he knew how hard the struggles could be. He recognized the desperation and fear in Mime Bomb's eyes, and he knew the thief needed help. Help none of them could provide.

"Perhaps..." Chase began thoughtfully. "I could have a talk with him? Make him understand why he cannot take part in the mission? I have been where he is, and it's not fun. He will need to see a professional as soon as this mission is over with. I will give him the name of a doctor I know who will be discreet."

This surprised Carmen. "That would actually help a lot, Devineaux. I think if someone understood what he was going through, it would help him recover. Just try to be very calm and gentle with him...okay?"

Chase let out a snort. "I, Chase Devineaux, am **always** calm. It is impossible to make me lose my cool."

Carmen raised an eyebrow. "...right."

"I just wish he would stop with the silly miming and speak once in a while." Chase stated. "I am not very good at charades..."

"I really don't think that's going to happen." Carmen told him. "Even in training he never said a word to anyone. We don't even know if he **can** speak."

"Hmm, then why doesn't he simply write down what he wants to say?"

Carmen paused, this thought never occurring to her. "I...don't know." she admitted. "I think it might be part of whatever complex he has against speaking."

"When we first entered the academy, I assumed he didn't speak because he was embarrassed his voice hadn't changed yet or something." Tigress commented. "I spent the first few days trying to get him to make a sound, but nothing worked. I tried startling him, teasing him, beating him up, making him mad and nothing worked. Eventually I just gave up."

Carmen gave her a disapproving look, but knew they'd all been pretty mean to him during training.

Devineaux scratched at his chin. "It makes things difficult." he commented. "But I will do my best to understand him."

El Topo was cleaning the broken glass from the floor, and he didn't say a single word while he worked. When he had every sliver safely disposed of, he took a seat on the couch, looking down at Mime Bomb with an uneasy frown.

"Le Chèvre really doesn't like him." he commented. "I've never really been able to figure out why, but I'm hoping this isn't going to cause any problems once our mission is over."

"Le Chèvre will get over it." Carmen said with a yawn. "But for right now, I think we should all try to get some sleep. I've set my alarm to go off in six hours to give us a little time to go over the plan one more time before we land."

"Yeah." Ivy quickly agreed, stifling a yawn. "I could use a few more Z's."

"Can you stuff a sock in your mouth first?" Tigress said, glaring at the other girl. "You snore like an asthmatic bear."

Ivy stuck her tongue out in response.

"I'm gonna stay here with Mime Bomb in case he needs me." Zack said, reaching for a nearby pillow. "I've gotten pretty good at waking him up before it gets too bad."

Carmen gave Zack a fond look, knowing the other boy had gotten pretty attached to Mime Bomb over the last few days. It made a strange sort of friendship, but neither of them seemed to mind the fact communication was limited between them.

"Thank you, Zack." Carmen said, heading back to her own spot. "You're a good friend."

Zack simply waved her off as he got himself comfortable. "Can someone dim the lights again?"

Shadowsan turned down the lights and then went back to his own spot beside Ivy. It didn't take long before everyone drifted back to sleep.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Mime Bomb could hear voices talking over him, and felt irritated that it was interrupting his sleep. He drifted in and out of sleep, but the noise in his ear was making it difficult to stay sleep. He finally woke enough to recognize the voices, and listened without opening his eyes, wondering what was going on.

"When are we going to wake him?" Ivy whispered a bit too loudly. "He's been asleep the whole flight."

"I'll wake him when we land." Carmen replied. "He needs the sleep right now."

"Yeah, but when are we going to tell him he's not coming with us?" Ivy demanded. "We can't just drop that on him without warning!"

Mime Bomb tensed at her words.

"We'll break it to him gently." Carmen replied.

They were kicking him off the mission.

"That's really not leaving us much time to explain ourselves!" Ivy exclaimed.

"Shh, Ivy, you're going to wake him." Carmen scolded. "We'll tell him in the car!"

"There must be something he can do to help." Zack stated, resting a hand on Mime Bomb's shoulder. "Maybe he can help Chase with his part of the mission?"

"I don't see what he could do." Chase replied. "The clown has a broken arm, and he won't exactly blend in at Interpol. If I walk in with a mime, every single person is going to question it."

Mime Bomb felt his jaw tighten.

"Maybe he can just wait in the car with Zack?" Ivy suggested.

"Well, then he wouldn't be doing anything to help." Zack protested. "He's not gonna want to just sit around while you guys are taking down the Finnegans."

"I don't see any other way." El Topo commented. "He will endanger the mission if he takes part, and I won't risk Le Chèvre's life like that. He is too much of a liability."

Mime Bomb couldn't believe they were planning on just kicking him out of the mission without speaking to him first. He felt certain he'd be able to help, even if it wasn't a large role. His nightmares weren't going to affect his abilities, but they weren't even going to even give him a chance. He was being dismissed like always, and he felt a raw anger well within him, causing him to clench his hand into a fist.

"Shadowsan said the sedatives should have worn off already, and so he could wake at any time." Carmen warned them. "We need to keep our voices down."

"As observant as always, lambkins." Tigress sneered from beside him.

"What are you taking about, Sheena?" Carmen demanded, tone impatient.

"You're such a 'great' detective, but you've failed to notice Mime Bomb has been awake for like five minutes now."

Carmen's gaze snapped over to Mime Bomb, and sure enough she could see the suppressed fury the villain was holding back. Although his eyes were still closed, it was obvious to anyone who looked that he was indeed awake. Her eyes widened, realizing he'd heard everything.

"SHEENA! Why didn't you say anything?"

The other girl gave a shrug, looking disinterested.

Carmen had been planning on letting Chase have this conversation with Mime Bomb, but now it looked like the cat was out of the bag.

"Oh, Mime Bomb!" she said. "I'm so sorry! You weren't supposed to find out this way!"

Mime Bomb opened his eyes and glared at her fiercely.

"It's not what you think!" she said, trying to calm the anger she saw growing. "You've been through so much lately, we just didn't think it was a good idea to add any more stress on you. I **promise** we're not excluding you to be cruel! You're still injured, and with the horrible nightmares you've been having, I didn't think it was a good idea to make you face the Finnegans so soon."

She reached for his hand, but he pulled away. He turned his hand on it's side and tapped his chest with his thumb angrily.

"He says 'I'm fine'." Player helpfully translated.

"No, you're **not** fine." Carmen corrected. "You went through a horrible ordeal, and it's been affecting you. What would you do if you were inside the building and you suddenly get confronted by an armed Michael Jr?"

Mime Bomb's breath quickened, just the thought enough to send a surge of panic through him.

"See?" Carmen said kindly. "You're not ready for this. I'm sorry I didn't notice sooner, and for that I failed you. We will take down the Finnegans, and you will be there to see it. I'll make sure you see the moment they're tossed in the back of a police car, but you **can't** enter the building with us. Its not safe, and I won't put you in that position."

Mime Bomb shook his head and repeated the sign from before. He didn't care if he had to see Michael Finnegan again, he just wanted to be a part of ruining them.

Carmen shook her head. "I'm sorry, but as the leader of this group, I sometimes have to make tough decisions that you won't like. You are **not** going inside, and that is my final decision."

Mime Bomb signed something else and once again Player translated. "He said 'I'm going'."

"You're **not**." Carmen said firmly. "I'm not risking you or this mission, and you are **not** going. You are part of this team, and as such you have to respect my authority. You will stay in the car with Zack or you will stay on the plane with the pilot. If I feel like I can't trust you to do as you're told, you will remain on this plane and you won't step so much as a toe on the ground. Is this clear?"

Mime Bomb shook his head.

If looks could kill, Carmen would have dropped dead on the spot. Mime Bomb signed something at her angrily and Player hesitated before translating. "He said you're stealing his revenge."

Carmen frowned at him. "What kind of revenge were you planning on?" she demanded. "Were you going to return every hit you received, every bit of pain? Break his arm, stab him? Kill him?"

Mime Bomb crossed his arms and looked away from her.

"You can't get revenge like that." she told him, her tone turning gentle. "If you hurt Michael Jr, you'll be no better than him. I know you're a good person, and I know you don't really want to hurt anyone. Let Michael Jr face the courts, and get your revenge by knowing he'll be in jail for a very long time."

Once again Mime Bomb shook his head.

"Stop arguing." Shadowsan scolded, giving him a hard stare. "Her decision is final."

Mime Bomb let out an angry huff and then pointed to his eyes and then his ears. Everyone stared at him blankly, and so he repeated the gesture.

"You want to be the lookout?" Carmen guessed.

Mime Bomb was still angrily averting his gaze, but he nodded.

Carmen exchanged a glance with the others.

"How can someone who doesn't speak be a lookout?" Chase asked, furrowing his brow.

Mime Bomb turned a glare on him.

"It's a valid question." Chase defended. "If you saw something you needed to report, how would you do it?"

"Well, when we were in training, we did several practice heists. Mime Bomb was the lookout, and he used a flashlight to signal us from the window." Carmen said.

"That won't really work when we're all inside an office building." Tigress pointed out.

"Give Mime Bomb one of the tablets and he can use sign language to communicate to me." Player suggested. "If he sees anything, I can report it through your coms."

Carmen nodded, considering it. This definitely could work. Mime Bomb would be far from danger, and he could actually help by reporting to them if the police arrived too early.

"We could station him on the roof of the office building across the street from the Finnegan building. He could keep an eye on things happening on the streets, and watch through the windows, keeping us updated."

Mime Bomb gave an emphatic nod.

Chase gave her a skeptical look, but everyone else seemed to accept this plan.

"If there's one thing that weirdo's good at, it's tattling." Tigress commented. "He'll be fine as the lookout."

El Topo nodded his agreement. "He's a good lookout."

Carmen gave Mime Bomb a smile. "Sorry I didn't think of being a lookout earlier. It never even crossed my mind." she said. "As long as you do **not** try to enter the Finnegan building, I have no problem with this. You stay on the roof of the other building, and make sure not to attract attention to yourself."

Mime Bomb nodded quickly. He would have rather had a more involved job to do, but at least it was something. At least he wasn't being excluded. Zack clapped a hand down on his shoulder, and Mime Bomb glanced over at him. Zack grinned widely at him, and then held out Carmen's makeup bag.

"You might want to fix your makeup." he suggested. "It's looking a bit...special."

Raising a hand to his face, Mime Bomb was embarrassed at the realization his display from earlier had likely ruined his makeup. Grabbing the bag from Zack, he stood to his feet and then headed for the bathroom to clean himself up. As soon as he was gone, everyone exchanged looks.

"I don't trust him." Shadowsan stated. "I saw the look in his eyes, and I think he's going to try something foolish."

"Yeah." Ivy agreed. "He's totally going to sneak in when no one's looking."

Carmen shook her head. "No, I will choose to trust him." she replied. "This team is built on trust, and I can't accuse him of something he hasn't even done yet. The only thing we can do is keep an eye on him and try to head off any attempts he makes to get inside the building."

"He'll be connected with me over the tablet and so I can let you guys know if he's up to anything." Player cut in.

Carmen nodded. "We land in an hour and then we'll drop Devineaux off a block from the Poitiers Interpol office. He'll have an hour to get to both server rooms, and then we'll have to enter the Finnegan building."

Chase didn't look worried. "It will be simple." he assured them. "In and out."

Carmen looked from one face to another, everyone radiating confidence and she gave them a smile. This was the biggest job she'd ever attempted, but her team was bigger and better than ever, and she felt certain they would be successful. The Finnegans were going down.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**TBC**

**Sorry that I broke up the chapter guys**

**It will be just a day or two for me to finish the final part of arc 1**


	13. Taking Down the Finnegans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authornote:
> 
> Final chapter of Arc 1. (For real this time)
> 
> A brief summary of Arc 2 will be at the end of this chapter.
> 
> This chapter is so unbelievably long! Over 14k words! lol Get your snacks ready, and settle in for a long read. :D
> 
> If you're enjoying the story so far, please let me know your thoughts. I'm open to all suggestions and criticisms as it helps me improve the story.
> 
> Happy Reading!

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**The Silence**

**Chapter 13**

**Taking Down the Finnegans**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**.**

**.**

**Devineaux's Mission-1.5 hours ** **remain**

**.**

Chase got out of the van, gave Carmen a confident nod, and then turned to walk away without a single word. He ran a hand through his hair as he walked, hoping he'd be able to pull this off without anyone realizing what he was doing. He'd been in the Poitiers Interpol building hundreds of times, and he knew the building like the back of his hand. Touching the keycard in his coat pocket, he knew it gave him the highest security clearance possible. He could enter any room he wanted and security wouldn't be alerted. Chase hoped Player was as good as Carmen assured him, because this could end very badly for him, if anything went wrong.

Seeing the Interpol building ahead, he squared his shoulders, knowing he had to act as natural as possible. Striding up to the front doors, he flung open the door and strode in like he owned the whole building. The burly security guard glanced up at him as he approached, and the man let out a sigh of aggravation when he saw who it was.

"Yes, Monsieur Devineaux, you **do** have to go through security." he answered before Chase even said anything.

Chase made a big show of grumbling about being too busy for such things, and approached the metal detector. Handing over his I.D card, he put his keys and cellphone into the box the guard held out for him and stepped through the detector. Immediately it began to beep, and the guard let out another sigh.

"Belt Monsieur Devineaux."

Chase rolled his eyes and removed his belt. "This is ridiculous!" he protested. "I have worked here for over twenty years, and you know who I am!"

The security guard didn't even look at him as he accepted the belt and added it to the box. "Must we go through this every time, Monsieur Devineaux? It is policy, and you know this."

Chase muttered a few not so polite phrases under his breath and once again stepped through the metal detector. It allowed him through and the guard handed him his belongings back as he swiped Chase's I.D. A picture of Chase popped up on the screen stating his name and security clearance. The guard's eyes widened when he saw the level 1 clearance.

"All is good, Monsieur Devineaux, have a good day, and congratulations on the promotion."

Chase gave him a nod as he put his belt back on and pocketed his phone and keys. "Goodbye, François." he said distractedly, heading straight for the elevators.

The moment he was on the elevator, Player spoke up into his com. "Do you really do that every single time with security?"

"It is annoying." Chase defended. "A waste of my time."

"You said the server room is on the 3rd floor?" Player asked, the sound of the boy typing furiously in the background.

"Yes." Devineaux replied, cutting off when the elevator suddenly stopped on the second floor.

The door opened and three men stepped on, and to Chase's horror, his former supervisor was among them. Turning his face away from them, he stayed very still and quiet, hoping he wouldn't be recognized. The three men were laughing and joking with one another and weren't seeming to be paying him any attention at all. The elevator stopped and the door opened, and Chase didn't move, oblivious they were now on the third floor.

"Monsieur?" his former supervisor questioned. "Do you need the third floor?"

Chase startled and then hurriedly got off the elevator. "Oui, merci." he mumbled, as he kept his face angled away from them.

As the elevator doors closed, he didn't see the way his former supervisor was frowning at him, brow furrowed. Chase hurried down the hallway, no one giving him so much as a glance as he passed them by. When he got to the server room, he glanced around, ensured no one was looking and then swiped his keycard against the lock. The door buzzed and he opened it, slipping inside before anyone noticed the noise.

Dozens and dozens of pieces of equipment lined the walls, and Chase frowned, not really sure what any of it was.

"I'm in the server room." he whispered to Player.

"Excellent. Get out the receiver and I'll direct you on what to do."

Chase removed his phone out of his pocket, and using his fingernails, he yanked the back off the phone. He removed what looked like a usb stick, and then tossed the fake phone aside.

"Okay." Chase stated. "What now?"

"Find Server C-8 and plug the usb in the back of it where it can't be seen."

Chase eyed the equipment and then began looking for any way to identify what was what. He found a tiny label on one that stated G-4 and began searching for row C. When he found the C's, he walked along the row until he found C-8, and then glanced down at the usb. Hoping he wasn't going to regret this, he plugged it in and stepped back.

"Done." he told Player.

"Okay, I see it online now. We have to get you to A.C.M.E to do the same thing. Once I have access to both, I'll do an info sweep and take what I need from both simultaneously. Are you sure your plan for getting into A.C.M.E will work?"

"Yes, of course I am sure!" Chase responded, instantly offended. "I don't know where the A.C.M.E office is, and so I need to get there any way I can."

"Okay." Player answered, sounding unsure. "Let me know when you're out of Interpol."

"Yes, I am heading out n-"

"What are you doing in here?!"

Chase froze and slowly turned around. One of the site's I.T men was standing there staring at Chase, hand already reaching for his walkie-talkie.

"Monsieur Devineaux, you are not allowed in here!"

"Why have you moved the break room?" Chase bellowed out angrily. "Every time I come to this building, you change something! I am a very busy man, and you people are wasting my time! I have to pull an all-nighter, and I need my coffee! WHERE IS THE COFFEE?!"

The man stared at Chase's crazed expression and then let out a deep sigh of irritation. "Monsieur Devineaux, the break room is across the hall...where it has always been. You are not allowed in here, and I'll have to escort you out."

He approached and placed a hand on Chase's shoulder to urge him out. "Come, I will show you the break room."

Chase muttered to himself about the building having a stupid lay-out and allowed himself to be ushered out of the server room. The man led him five steps across the hall and then pointed to the breakroom.

"Here is the breakroom, Monsieur Devineaux. It is Annette's birthday today and she brought in éclairs. Make sure you get one before they're gone."

Devineaux didn't even bother thanking the man, instead making a show of storming across the breakroom, straight for the coffeepot. People quickly stepped out of his way when they saw the scowl on his face, and he poured himself a cup of coffee without a word to anyone. Knowing he had to make this seem natural, he stood in front of the coffeepot guarding it as he took a gulp of the too hot coffee. To his irritation, the I.T guy was standing in the doorway chatting with someone and so he needed to wait until the coast was clear.

"I haven't seen you in a while, Chase." A woman said, approaching.

Chase glanced at her briefly. "I am busy, Miss Arsenault." he said dismissively.

She held out a box of éclairs towards him, and he took one without hesitation.

"Merci." he said, taking another gulp of coffee and then refilling his cup before she could reach for the pot. "Joyeux anniversaire."

"Merci. Chase, is it true you were reassigned to a desk job?" she asked in concern. "You were an excellent field agent!"

Chase gave her a glare. "Of course not." he snapped. "Silly gossip has no place at Interpol, miss Arsenault!"

"Right...sorry." she said a bit awkwardly. "Er...would you care to join me at my table? I'd love to hear about your latest case..."

Chase saw the I.T guy was gone and instantly headed for the door. "I don't have time, miss Arsenault." he replied. "Au revoir."

"...okay, another time then." sh replied.

As he headed down the hall, eating the éclair as he went, Player let out a chuckle. "Is this really how you interact with people at work?"

Chase furrowed his brow. "What do you mean by that?" he demanded. "Why?"

"Nothing, nevermind." Player said. "But you do realize miss Arsenault was hitting on you, right?"

Chase let out a snort. "Nonsense. She was doing no such thing."

As Chase made his way down the hallway, he headed for the elevators, knowing they were almost out of there. Just as he reached the elevator, it dinged and the door opened revealing Chase's former supervisor. Chase dropped his coffee to the floor, the mug shattering on the tiles. The supervisor stared at Chase, and Chase stared at him, and they froze, both not sure what to do.

"Monsieur Devineaux?" the other man hesitantly asked. "What are you doing here? Your employment with Interpol has been terminated."

Chase stared at him and didn't move.

"How did you get in here?" he demanded in an accusing voice. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to call security. This is a very serious matter!"

Chase had never even bothered to learn his supervisor's name, the insult over a kid being assigned as his superior still stinging. He knew that was A.C.M.E's final parting shot at him as they tossed him to the curb. Chase stared at the supervisor, and before he knew what he was doing, his fist connected solidly with the boy's face. He lashed out with such force, his former supervisor was unconscious before he hit the floor and Chase stared down at him for a few seconds, letting out a curse at his impulsiveness.

"What?" Player demanded. "What happened?"

Chase didn't answer, glancing around to see if anyone saw what happened. Luckily no one was around, and so he grabbed a hold of his former supervisor and dragged him over to the nearby closet. Shoving him inside, he grabbed a nearby electrical cord and then hogtied him as tightly as he could. Shoving a rag into the man's mouth to gag him, he then tied another several rags around his mouth and jaw, ensuring he wouldn't be able to make a sound. Staring down at the other man, Chase couldn't help but feel a little vindictive satisfaction at what he saw.

Chase closed the closet door, and headed for the elevator quickly. Once he was safely inside and going down, he let out a breath of relief.

"What happened?" Player demanded again. "Chase?"

"My supervisor is tied up in a broom closet." Chase replied.

Player hesitated. "The one we're transferring to Kentucky?"

"Yes."

"If someone finds him before we're done, it will cause problems."

"It's getting late in Poitiers. I tied him up and gagged him and so no one should find him until tomorrow. There's not very many people at the office right now."

"Just hurry and get out of there."

The elevator arrived in the lobby and once again Chase headed for security. The security guard let out a deep and aggravated sigh at the sight of him approaching, and he held up a hand to stop him from just walking through the metal detector.

"Back so soon?"

"I am a busy man." Chase replied, placing his keys and belt into the item box.

He stepped through the detector and when it allowed him through, the guard seemed surprised. "Where's your cellphone?"

"I dropped it in the toilet." Chase replied.

"Isn't that like the fifth time this year?"

Chase gave him a dirty look and snatched his belongings back. "That is none of your concern, François."

"Perhaps you should consider getting a waterproof phone." the guard suggested. "My brother got one and loves it, but he says he misses having the headphone jack."

"Yes, yes, very interesting." Chase dismissively replied, heading for the door. "I'll look into it. Now how about you go back to doing your actual job and leave the important people to do **their** jobs?"

The guard stared after him and then muttered "That was uncalled for."

As soon as Chase was back on the streets, he hurried away from the buildings, finally letting out a breath of relief.

"A real phone is taped underneath the bench in front of the grocers." Player told him. "The fake phone is there as well."

Wondering how Player managed to arrange all this, he headed for the nearby grocers, quickly spotting the bench. Taking a seat on it, he reached underneath and his fingers found a package taped underneath. Pulling it off, he sat back up and opened the package revealing the two phones. Placing the fake one in his pocket, he picked up the real phone and began dialing a very familiar number. Holding it to his ear, he waited while it rang. A few moments later it was answered.

"This is Julia Argent."

"Hello Miss Argent." Chase greeted.

"Agent Devineaux?!" Julia exclaimed. "You aren't supposed to be calling me!"

"I understand, but this was an emergency." Chase told her.

"Sir, you know that the Chief won't like this! She told me to cut off all contact with you!"

"I know where Carmen Sandiego is."

Julia went silent.

"I found her, Miss Argent."

There was silence on the other end of the line. "Are you sure?" she finally asked.

"Yes. I know where she is and where she is going." he told her. "I need a meeting with A.C.M.E."

All of a sudden the chief's voice cut in on the line. "We're on our way to get you, Devineaux. Don't move from that spot."

The line went dead, and Chase stared at the phone for a moment before tossing it into the nearby trashcan. He sat there for barely five minutes before a black van pulled up in front of him. A man and woman wearing black suits got out and before he even had a chance to greet them, they threw a bag over his head and yanked him into the van.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Team Red's Mission-1.5 hours remain**

**.**

They dropped Mime Bomb off a block away from the Finnegan building, and as he got out of the van, Zack took note of the brick he was trying to hide behind his leg. Zack rolled down his window.

"Mime Bomb, why do you have a brick?"

Mime Bomb froze and slowly turned back around to face the car. Carmen leaned over Zack so she could take a look.

"What exactly are you planning on doing with that?" she demanded. "Where did you even get it?"

Mime Bomb gave an evasive shrug.

Carmen let out a sigh. "Mime Bomb, are you planning on Home Alone-ing a brick at Michael Jr. from the roof?"

She got her answer when he averted his eyes.

"You are **not** throwing a brick at someone." Carmen scolded. "You could kill him, or even hit a pedestrian. You are to be a lookout, and a lookout only, now drop the brick."

Mime Bomb shook his head started to turn to walk away.

Carmen narrowed her eyes. "So help me, Mime Bomb, if you don't drop that brick right now, I'm going to leave you in the car with Zack for this mission."

Mime Bomb looked mutinous, but he did drop the brick to the ground.

"Thank you." Carmen said, still eyeing him a bit suspiciously. "Violence is **not** the answer for the Finnegans. We need to let the courts handle them."

Mime Bomb looked annoyed but he did give her a nod.

"Ok, good. I want you to be careful, stay safe, and keep in contact with Player." Carmen said, sitting back in her seat. "Hopefully we'll be in an out as soon as possible."

Mime Bomb gave her another nod.

"See you soon." Carmen said.

"See ya, buddy." Zack said as he rolled up his window.

Mime Bomb watched them drive away, and then glanced down at the brick. He stared at it for a few seconds and then let out an aggravated sigh and walked away, leaving it where it was. He had terrible aim and would probably miss anyway.

Carmen was watching Mime Bomb in the rear-view mirror as they drove away, and she was relieved when he left the brick where it was. At least that was one less thing she had to worry about.

As Zack drove towards the Finnegan building, Ivy quickly began handcuffing Carmen and blindfolding her.

"You sure about this, Carm?" Ivy asked uncertainly. "It's not too late for us to try something else."

"I'm sure, Ivy."

"What if he just shoots you on sight?"

"He's not going to do that. He went to too much effort to have me brought in alive. He wants to make me pay, and he wants it done by his own hands."

"Antonio, are you going to make sure Michael Finnegan doesn't hurt her?" Ivy asked worriedly.

"Of course." El Topo assured her. "I won't leave her side."

Ivy nodded, and continued what she was doing. Hiding a few tools up Carmen's sleeves, Ivy finished tying the hood and then gave Carmen a pat on the shoulder.

"Be careful in there."

"We'll be fine." Carmen said confidently. "See you soon."

El Topo, and Tigress got out of the car, and then jerked Carmen out of the front seat hard, making a big show of dragging her to the front doors. Carmen kicked and struggled, yelling for someone to help her, and she screamed in fear, but of course no one paid her any mind. The security guards at the front doors didn't even bat an eye as they approached, simply stepping aside and opening the doors for them to enter.

"Where are you taking me?" Carmen screamed. "Who are you people?!"

Michael Finnegan's personal assistant was waiting for them in the lobby, and when he saw Carmen, he adjusted his glasses, and slowly approached.

"This is her?" he demanded.

El Topo nodded.

"And who is this...person?" the man demanded, lip curling up in distaste as the sight of Tigress.

"Part of my crew." El Topo responded, and then gave Carmen a shake. "Where do you want us to put **her**?"

The personal assistant looked skeptical and reached out and pulled the hood from Carmen's head. He stared at her for a moment and when he confirmed this was the right girl, he nodded, and then motioned for them to follow him. Carmen fought and kicked as she was dragged towards the elevator, and Tigress and El Topo pretended to struggle to hold onto her.

"What do you want?" Carmen bellowed. "I'm very rich and you're going to pay for this! I'll sue!"

"You should have gagged her as well." The personal assistant muttered.

The elevator door opened and they dragged Carmen into it, but not before she got a good kick in to the personal assistant's shin. The man gave her a glare, but didn't comment, instead hitting the button for the 30th floor a bit harder than necessary. El Topo and Tigress both stood in silence the entire elevator ride up, pretending to be disinterested in everything happening. When the elevator stopped on the 30th floor, El Topo and Tigress dragged her out and followed behind the personal assistant towards Michael Finnegan's office.

The personal assistant knocked on the door, and then opened it, ushering them inside impatiently. Michael Finnegan Sr. was seated behind his desk, hands folded on the surface, expression stony.

"Good to see you again, Michelle." he said, his tone anything but friendly. "Or should I say Carmen Sandiego?"

"You!" Carmen gasped as if this surprised her. "You had me kidnapped!"

"Sit her down there, Del Toro." Michael Sr. ordered, pointing to the chair across from him.

"El Topo."

"Whatever."

Tigress and El Topo dragged her across the office and forced her to sit down in the chair, tying her arms to the ropes already there. Michael Sr. watched them secure her, and once they were done he pointed them to the door.

"Leave. I want to speak with her alone."

"Not until you release Le Chèvre." El Topo said, crossing his arms.

Michael Sr. narrowed his eyes. "Unless you do as you're told, your friend will be returned to you dead."

"I did as you asked, and so return him!"

Michael Sr. picked up a walkie talkie and pressed a button. "Kill the captive." he ordered.

"NOOO!" El Topo yelled out, his face horrified. "No, I'm sorry!"

Michael Sr. stared at the distraught villain for several seconds, and then turned the walkie-talkie around showing it didn't have any batteries.

"Last warning." Michael Sr. warned. "Next time, I'll turn the walkie-talkie **on** when I give that order. Now, leave the room."

El Topo took a deep and shaky breath, glancing at Carmen out of the corner of his eye.

"Don't you know how to obey orders, you hired thug?" Carmen mocked. "Get out of here."

El Topo saw the look Carmen was giving him, and so he gave Michael Sr. a nod. "We'll be right outside in the hall if you need us."

"I think I can handle one little girl." he replied.

El Topo wasn't actually talking to Michael, but gave a nod all the same. "Come on, Tigress." he ordered, turning to leave.

Once they were gone from the room, Carmen immediately began picking the locks on the handcuffs, turning a pleasant smile to Michael Sr.

"Hi, daddy."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Mime Bomb set the tablet beside him on the ledge of the roof, Player connected and watching his every move.

"They're in the lobby." Player informed him. "Everything seems to be going fine so far. Do you see anything out of place?"

Placing his elbows on the ledge, Mime Bomb raised the binoculars to his eyes and gazed around the street below. He glanced over to Player and shook his head.

"Good." Player responded. "And that's the way we want to keep it."

Player gave him a play by play what was happening inside, and Mime Bomb listened in interest, all the while keeping an eye on the street below. Suddenly Mime Bomb sat straight up, his whole body tensing as he stared below. Player saw his reaction and gave him a frown.

"What?" he asked. "What do you see?"

Mime Bomb continued to stare for several long seconds, and then turned to glance at the tablet. He signed something and Player frowned.

"I don't know that word."

Mime Bomb looked extremely nervous and tried a different sign. Player gave him a confused frown.

"Janitor?" he guessed.

Mime Bomb repeated the sign.

"Two janitors?"

Mime Bomb seemed to be getting frantic, and Player had no idea what was wrong. Player pressed a finger to his com to connect with everyone at once.

"Guys, Mime Bomb is saying something about 2 janitors being outside. Does that mean anything to you?"

"The Cleaners." Shadowsan replied from where he was positioned in the vents on the first floor. "This is **not** good. This means V.I.L.E is tracking us. Where are they, Mime Bomb?"

Mime Bomb signed to Player who translated.

"They're parked three cars behind Zack and Ivy.

"What?!" Zack yelped out in alarm.

"Don't look at them." Shadowsan ordered. "We don't want them knowing we've seen them."

"What do I do?" Zack asked, clearly on edge.

"There's a reason they haven't acted yet." Shadowsan said. "The Cleaners don't make mistakes, and so that means there's something they're not sure of yet. It's a possibility they don't know which building we're in."

"Devineaux was just collected by A.C.M.E, and he'll need to be picked up soon." Player informed them. "Maybe Zack can lose them in traffic?"

"Unlikely." Shadowsan replied. "The only chance we'll have is losing them after the police arrive. Until then, Zack will have to pretend not to notice them."

"What will they do if they think we're onto them?" Ivy asked a bit uncertainly.

"They'll kill you without hesitation. The Cleaners **never** fail, and they **never** leave witnesses. You two need to be extremely careful."

"Aw, man." Zack commented, sounding worried.

"How much longer until everyone is out?" Ivy asked.

"Carmen is speaking with Michael Finnegan right now." Player replied.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Michael's expression hardened. "Who **are** you exactly?" he demanded. "What makes you think you could get away with disrespecting me and my family?"

Carmen leaned forward and rested both her elbows on his desk, showing him she was no longer bound.

"I go by many names." she replied. "But for now, you can call me Carmen."

Michael Sr. stared at her free hands, and then narrowed his eyes.

"I went through a lot to get your attention, you know." she told him. "Do I now have your full attention, Mr. Finnegan?"

"What are you talking about?" he demanded, reaching for the gun he kept hidden under the edge of his desk.

"You are a difficult man to impress, Mr. Finnegan, but I think I've sufficiently proven myself to you." Carmen set down a very familiar hard drive on the desk and pushed it towards him. "I want to join you."

Michael Sr. stared at her, definitely not expecting this. He had expected her to beg, to cry, and perhaps even get angry, but not this. He glanced down at the hard drive but made no move to touch it. He didn't trust her at all, and felt certain this was just another elaborate trap. She would not fool him again.

"Who are you?" he repeated.

"I run a large underground of criminals in The United States." Carmen told him, cocky smirk on her lips. "I only recruit the best, and that's why I've had my eye on your organization. V.I.L.E has been stepping on our toes for years, and I think it's time for a new criminal empire to take over. I know no love will be lost between you and V.I.L.E and that's why I'm asking for my crew to join yours."

Michael Sr. wasn't impressed. "Not interested." he replied, raising the gun into her view.

Carmen let out a laugh. "I never took you for a idiot, Michael Finnegan. Look how **easily** we had you all fooled. I walked right in your front door by invite, robbed you blind, stole your hostage, and then blew up the 29th floor. How many people could do that to you? How many people would **dare**?"

Michael Sr. glared at her and cocked the gun.

"I am exactly what you've been looking for." Carmen told him. "My team can help elevate you to what you've always wanted."

"And what would **that** be?" Michael Sr. demanded.

"The man in charge of the world. Without V.I.L.E to compete with, you will be in charge of every single heist and theft. You'll own it all."

"What makes you think I want any of that?" Michael replied, shaking his head. "I have no desire to take on V.I.L.E."

"You already are." Carmen said, smiling at him sweetly.

Michael Sr.'s eyes widened. "How do you know that?!"

"Like I said, my team is the best in the world. There's **nothing** we don't know about. You never know where we are, because all of us are the best actors you've ever seen. I have plants everywhere in the criminal world." Carmen switched her expression to the clueless but happy expression she'd used the first time they met. "Like, no one would ever suspect someone like me, isn't that right daddy?"

Michael gave her an almost pained look, remembering how he'd fallen for her deceptions without the least bit of suspicion. Michael spent his life around criminals and prided himself on his ability to pick up on deception, but Carmen's acting had been so flawless, he'd believed her.

"Who was the man you were with before?" Michael asked. "The one you claimed was your adoptive father?"

"Explosives expert." Carmen replied, tone going back to serious. "Worked for the military for thirty years before joining my crew."

"You came into my place of work, you stole from me, lied to me, disrespected me, and now you expect me to just forgive it? The only thing you're getting from **me** is a bullet between the eyes. I don't care how talented you seem to think you are."

"You've been struggling lately because everyone around you seems to be too incompetent to trust." Carmen said, meeting his gaze fiercely. "Your own son cannot even complete the most basic of jobs without screwing it up."

Michael Sr.'s eyes flared in rage. "Don't talk about my son!"

"Your vulnerabilities are so obvious to anyone looking for them." she informed him coolly. "I simply wanted to show you how easily someone could take advantage of you if you weren't careful."

Michael Sr. couldn't even deny it, knowing it to be true. His family **was** his one weakness. He scowled at her, and debated whether it was worth listening to what she had to say.

"And you think you're any different from the buffoons I have working for me?"

"I know I am." Carmen replied, leaning back in her chair. "You need someone in your inner circle that you know will get the job done. Someone with the skills and talent to make your corporation shine."

"You want an equal partnership." Michael Sr. said, narrowing his eyes.

Carmen shook her head. "No, I want to be your second. You have the experience I don't have, and I want to learn from you. Do you have any doubt about my competence? If I join you, every member of my crew will as well. You won't just gain me, you'll gain an army."

Michael's gaze grew thoughtful, and Carmen knew she was drawing him in.

"Why would I trust you?" Michael demanded.

"A little show of trust." Carmen said, laying a piece of paper onto the desk.

Michael eyed her for a moment and then reached out and snatched the paper. When he turned it over, his eyes widened and he lifted the gun and pointed it straight at her head.

"Where did you get this information?!"

"V.I.L.E is planning on draining your personal bank account at midnight tonight. I'm letting you know as a sign of goodwill. In return, I want to join you, and I want the pleasure of killing the three V.I.L.E operatives in your building."

Michael stared at her with narrowed eyes, and slowly lowered the gun. "I am giving orders that you're not allowed to leave this building." he stated. "I want time to think about this very carefully. I don't care about the V.I.L.E agents and you can do what you want with them. My personal assistant, Sebastian will take you to the basement where the third one is. How exactly do you plan on killing them without a weapon?"

Carmen pulled a long knife out of her sleeve. "Who says I'm unarmed?"

Michael Sr. stared at the knife, realizing she could have easily killed him at any time during their conversation.

"Come back in 30 minutes." he ordered, picking up his phone.

As Carmen stood up, she heard a hushed conversation between Michael and his personal assistant. She headed towards the door, and couldn't help let out a deep breath of relief.

Now they just had to rescue Le Chèvre while Player handled things from his end.

Once Carmen was gone from the room, Michael picked up his phone and dialed a number. He waited and only a moment later, someone answered.

"Transfer all funds out of my family account ending in 3349." he ordered. "Avada Kedavra."

Michael never so much as glanced towards the hard drive that was innocently sitting on his desk.

"Got the password." Player told everyone. "And apparently Michael Finnegan is a big Harry Potter fan. His password was the killing curse. Transferring funds in 30 minutes."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Devineaux's Mission- 30 minutes remain**

**.**

Chase was seated on a hard wooden chair, the cloth bag still over his head, and he'd been ordered not to move from that spot. He had been left there long enough for him to grow impatient, and he let out a sigh of irritation.

"I do not have time for this." he muttered to himself.

"Why, have some place to be?" the Chief asked from behind him. "You wouldn't think an unemployed man would have that busy of a schedule."

Chase tensed. "A simple misunderstanding." he replied, keeping his tone light. "The issue has been resolved."

The bag was pulled off his head, revealing the Chief standing over him, looking skeptical. "Oh?" she questioned. "I understood you made quite the bad impression on your new supervisor. How you managed to screw up a desk job is beyond me."

Julia was standing off to one side of the room looking guilty and a little bit sad as she looked at her former partner.

Chase grimaced. "My supervisor and I had a conversation today and we've come to an understanding."

The Chief raised an eyebrow. "You have been investigating Carmen Sandiego after I explicitly told you leave her alone."

Chase crossed his arms. "Of course I have. No one knows her better than I!" he said. "La Femme Rouge will be brought down by my own hands!"

"Devineaux, you are a complete moron!" she scolded him. "You could have messed up our entire operation! I knew you were a loose cannon, and I should have ensured you couldn't interfere! You are never going to work for Interpol again, or any sort of law enforcement. I am personally going to ensure you can never interfere with us ever again."

Chase's teeth clenched as he struggled not to lose his temper. He needed to focus, or he'd fail the mission. Remain calm. Remain calm. Remain calm. He took a few very deep breaths, not trusting himself to speak.

"You claimed to know where Carmen Sandiego is, and you're going to tell me everything you know."

Chase took another deep breath and crossed his arms against his chest. "No."

The Chief was not expecting this and she blinked in surprise. "No?"

"No." Chase repeated firmly.

The Chief gave him a furious look. "What do you mean 'no'?" she demanded. "What are you playing at, Devineaux?"

Chase glanced at his watch. "In less than 30 minutes Carmen Sandiego will be gone from Poitiers. Only **I** know where she is right now and I am willing to negotiate."

The Chief's expression turned ugly. "Negotiate? Who do you think you're dealing with? A.C.M.E does **not** negotiate."

Chase gave a shrug and leaned back in his chair. "Then I'm afraid I can't help you."

Julia stepped closer. "Sir, you must tell us where she is! She breached our servers a few weeks ago and we had to completely overhaul our whole system. It cost A.C.M.E a fortune for all new security and she has to be held responsible for her actions. She needs to be brought in."

Chase stared at Julia and couldn't help the small feeling of betrayal he felt. He had trusted her, and she had tossed him aside just like everyone else. He regretted how he'd been so gruff with her all the time, but he never would have expected her to abandon him.

"If it truly such a big deal, then I'm sure A.C.M.E will be willing to make a deal."

The Chief narrowed her eyes. "We have ways of getting the information, Devineaux. I'm sure you remember V.I.L.E trying to extract the memories out of your head?"

Chase nodded. "And they were unsuccessful."

"We are much more persistent." she stated. "Do you really think you can hold out against it indefinitely?"

"No, of course not." Chase replied, glancing again at his watch. "I only have to hold out for 22 more minutes and then it doesn't matter."

The Chief looked angry enough to tear off his head, but knew with a time limit, Chase had the advantage. "What do you want?" she demanded.

"I want to continue working for Interpol without any interference from A.C.M.E."

The Chief narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "That's it?"

Chase nodded.

"I will not have you chasing after Carmen Sandiego any longer." she said, a sharp edge to her voice.

"After tonight she will be caught and there will be no need." Chase retorted, glancing again at his watch. "20 minutes left."

"I want proof you've even seen her." The Chief said, feeling like she was somehow being tricked. Chase Devineaux was an absolute moron and so she doubted he was capable, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

"Look at the pictures on my phone." Chase instructed, pulling the fake phone out of his pocket. "They're timestamped from an hour ago."

She snatched the phone out of his hand and hit the power button. Nothing happened. Chase gave her an apologetic look.

"Ah, sorry, I must have forgotten to charge it. Just plug it in and you'll be able to see the pictures."

The Chief gave him an irritated look, and then carried the phone over to her laptop. "Agent Argent, fetch me a Type-C charge cable for this phone."

"Yes, ma'am, right away." Julia said, hurrying from the room.

"You'd better not be mistaken Devineaux." The Chief warned. "Or I'll make it so the only job you can get is scrubbing toilets at an all you can eat chili buffet."

Devineaux frowned at her. "I don't think there's such a thing."

"Want to find out?"

Chase let out a long and irritated sigh. "No."

Julia returned in just a few moments, her own pink charge cable in her hands. She crossed the room and handed it to The Chief, stepping back to a respectable distance, but still close enough to watch. The Chief gave one last glare to Chase and then plugged the phone into her laptop. The phone lit up as it started up and a few moments later Chase heard a soft whisper in his ear from Player.

"Alrighty, I'm connected to A.C.M.E, and I just need a few minutes to hack into the server without them picking up on it. Once I'm in, I can rip all data from the server when it's time. Keep her talking for a few minutes, and make sure she keeps the phone plugged in."

"Okay." Chase replied, turning his attention to The Chief.

"Okay what?" she demanded.

"You have your proof, and now I want your assurance I can return to Interpol." he responded.

The Chief clicked on the photos folder on the phone and began flipping through dozens of images of Carmen. When she checked, they were all timestamped from a little more than an hour ago.

"This phone is now confiscated." she informed him. "Hopefully you weren't too attached."

By her tone, it was clear she didn't really care. Chase gave an indifferent shrug. "I break and lose my phones several times a month. No loss."

Julia nodded her agreement. "It's true." she confirmed, thinking of all the times Chase had grumbled about needing yet another phone.

"How did you find her?" The Chief asked in surprise. "I just don't understand how the most incompetent field agent I've ever met managed to track down Carmen Sandiego! You couldn't find your way out of a paper bag!"

Chase had to bite his tongue, his temper immediately flaring at her words. Chase had worked hard his whole life and was completely dedicated to protecting the world from the threats of criminals. He may have had a hard time with the Carmen Sandiego case, but that didn't diminish his past successes. He had saved a lot of people over the years, but apparently none of that mattered to A.C.M.E.

When Chase was a young boy, he had lived in extreme poverty with his mother, and no one had seemed to care whether they lived or died. He had seen the corruption all around him from the police, from the social workers, and from everyone else who was supposed to be helping them. He had vowed to someday take a stand against it all, and as he grew he had fought and struggled his way through school, and then fought his way into Interpol. He had been fighting corruption ever since the day he entered Interpol, and knew he had helped a lot of people over the years. If Chase was one thing, it would be determined. No matter how difficult a situation was, he never gave up and he never stopped fighting.

"What are you going to do with Carmen Sandiego once you catch her?" Chase asked, struggling to keep his tone even.

The Chief gave him a look like he was an absolute moron. "Carmen Sandiego needs to be eliminated." she replied. "She is a threat to A.C.M.E, and a threat to the world. She knows classified information, and she cannot be allowed to use the information for evil."

Chase knew by helping Team Red he was going against his own convictions about helping criminals, but the thought of saving so many people made him ignore any misgivings. There was no question in his mind that he was doing the right thing, however illegal it may be. Saving thousands of lives outweighed breaking a few laws, and Chase knew that even if he got caught, it would be worth it. People would be saved, and he would give his one life without hesitation to save so many others. A.C.M.E was **so** quick to order the killing of a young girl, and Chase saw this for what it was; an abuse of power. He felt the stirrings of disgust deep within him, and he took a deep breath, fighting not to say anything.

Chase stared at The Chief in silence, and he now realized A.C.M.E was the real threat. They pretended to be the good guys, but they were just as corrupt as the people he fought against. They didn't care how many people they hurt in their mission to take down V.I.L.E and Carmen Sandiego, and Chase refused to allow it. They were willing to toss him aside, and how many other people had they done this to? How many lives had they ruined to further their agenda? Chase knew A.C.M.E was willing to kill, and he had a feeling it hadn't always been criminals they took out. V.I.L.E and A.C.M.E were exactly the type of organizations he had worked so hard his whole life to stop. How had they fooled him for so long?

"Tell me where she is!" The Chief ordered, clearly impatient with his silence.

Chase glanced down at his watch. "17 minutes left."

"Tell me where she is, and you can return to work for Interpol." The Chief said, the words almost seeming to cause her physical pain. "You will start Monday morning."

Chase crossed his arms. "Give me your word."

"I give you my word." she answered, looking angry enough to hit him. "Now tell me, **where** in the world is Carmen Sandiego?"

"Got in." Player whispered to him. "We're all done here. Get out of there, Devineaux."

"She's at Gare de Poitiers about to catch a train to Germany." he replied. "Her train leaves in 15 minutes."

The Chief immediately reached up a hand and pressed the com in her ear. "All available agents are to assemble at Gare de Poitiers. Carmen Sandiego has been spotted. Prepare my helicopter, I'm on my way to the roof now."

As The Chief hurried from the room, Chase called after her. "And I am back at Interpol?"

The Chief narrowed her eyes. "Mr. Devineaux, you will **never** work in Interpol again. You are a disgrace and an embarrassment to this country. Julia will show you out, and I desperately hope we never meet again."

Chase had honestly hoped she wouldn't double-cross him, and felt a little disappointed that his suspicions were correct. The Chief didn't even spare him another glance as she left the room, and Chase was left alone with Julia.

"I'm sorry, Sir." Julia aid, sounding genuinely upset. "I'm so sorry."

Chase stared at her long and hard, knowing Julia probably didn't know what she was getting herself into. Julia was young and tended to trust authority without question. He had rather liked Julia when they'd worked together, but now there would be no coming back from this. They would be enemies once A.C.M.E discovered what he'd done.

Chase stood to his feet and then held out a hand towards hers to shake. She hesitantly accepted the hand, not sure what to think.

"Goodbye, Miss Argent." he told her. "It was nice working with you."

Julia was shocked, and didn't quite know how to respond. Chase had been acting strangely this whole interrogation, and she couldn't put her finger on what it was. He seemed a little bit too patient, and a little bit too calm. This wasn't the Chase Devineaux she had come to know.

"Er, yes, you too." she told him with a worried frown. "Things will get better soon, I promise. I'll have a talk with The Chief and see if I can get her to reconsider."

"Yes, yes, thank you, but I really have to get going now, Miss Argent. I am a busy man, and I have places to be."

"...yes, Sir." she answered uncertainly.

Chase allowed her to put the bag over his head, and then she led him out of the room. He was once again seized by the two A.C.M.E agents from before and just a few minutes later he was returned to the grocers where they'd taken him. Chase watched them drive away and then glanced down at his watch. Seven minutes left.

"I'm on my way, Player." he said.

"Zack and Ivy are one block East waiting for you." Player told him. "And good job, Devineaux. You were perfect."

Chase didn't answer, simply bolting down the street, hoping nothing was going wrong on Carmen's end of the mission.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Team Red's Mission- 30 minutes remain**

**.**

Sebastian, Michael Finnegan's personal assistant looked furious when Carmen came out of the office. He gave her such a look of disgust that Carmen couldn't help but give him her most charming smile. Tigress and El Topo were waiting nearby, and when they saw her, they looked visibly relieved, but then quickly masked it with threatening glares.

"When do I get to see Le Chèvre?" El Topo demanded. "I kept my end of the bargain!"

"I'm to escort these two down to the basement to collect their friend." she told Sebastian.

"I am well aware of what you're going to do." he replied, staring at her like she was something slimy stuck to his shoe.

"Then lead on." she ordered, smile never fading.

Sebastian narrowed his eyes at her. "I don't trust you, and if you do **anything** I find suspicious, I will put a bullet in your head before you can even blink. I will not allow you to fool us again."

Carmen waved him off dismissively. "Relax, poindexter, I'm not going to betray you."

He stared at her long and hard for a few seconds and then motioned for her to walk. "All of you are to stay in front of me at all times. Walk to the elevator and keep your hands where I can see them."

"Are you taking me to see Le Chèvre now?" El Topo demanded.

"Yes, yes, you'll be reunited with your friend in just a few minutes." Sebastian said distractedly.

They were ushered down the hall, and into the elevator, Sebastian keeping a gun on them the whole way.

"Head's up, Red. Michael Jr. and five goons are waiting for you in the basement. He's refusing to listen to his father and plans to kill you instead. He's going to say you attacked him and left him with no other choice."

Carmen glanced up at the camera in the elevator and gave a small nod, knowing Player was watching.

"Shadowsan is almost done setting things up on his end. Do you need me to get him to come help?"

"I think everything is going to work out perfectly." Carmen said, flashing Sebastian another smile.

Tigress smirked, flexing her claws, but saying nothing. It was clear she was ready to do her part, and fighting was what she did best. They rode the elevator the rest of the way to the basement in silence.

"Oh shoot!" Player suddenly exclaimed. "Mime Bomb just saw the Cleaners enter the building!"

There were three collective intakes of breath in the elevator.

"Mime Bomb? What are you- Mime Bomb! Wait! Wait!" There was a pause. "Guys, Mime Bomb just left the roof. I think he's on his way inside."

Carmen let out a curse, and Sebastian gave her a questioning look.

"Just realized I forgot to water my plants in Farmville." she explained. "Some people just can't be trusted to do what they're supposed to, and what they promised." she said, knowing very well Mime Bomb could hear her through his com. "And some people need to stay FAR AWAY from...Farmville."

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure your pretend farm will be fine."

"I'm very attached to this farm, and I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to it. This farm has become family to me, and I'm both worried and angry right now." Carmen said. "There are a lot of bad farmers lurking around that could seriously harm the farm. The farm should remain in a safe spot."

Sebastian squinted at her, having no idea what she was talking about. "This whole conversation is pathetic." he commented.

Shadowsan's voice came across the coms. "Mime Bomb, if you step one foot inside this building, I'm going to wring your neck." he threatened. "Check in with Player **now**."

A few seconds passed and then Player spoke up. "Nothing yet, Shadowsan, he's turned the tablet off. Where are you?"

"I'm all finished and am making my way to the basement." he said. "Keep an eye out on the cameras for where that fool went to. He'd better hope I'm not the one that finds him first."

The elevator reached the basement, and when it dinged open, Carmen was met with the sight of a very smug looking Michael Jr. Michael was leaning against the wall, arms crossed and cocky look on his face.

"Hello, sis." he greeted in a light tone.

"MJ." she replied with a sweet smile, causing him to make a sour face.

Michael glanced over at Tigress and El Topo, his gaze instantly settling on Tigress' low-cut top. He rolled his eyes and a brief look of disgust crossed his face.

"Heya, kittycat," he mocked, "What's your codename? The Pussy...cat?"

Carmen saw Tigress' hand twitch and she gave her a slight shake of the head, the other girl glaring at her in return.

"It's Tigress." she ground out from between clenched teeth. "Now I suggest you stop staring at me you disgusting creep!"

Michael seemed to be considering something, and the smile he gave her was a bit unsettling. "I've met girls like you dozens of times," he commented, "You think you're better than everyone else. I wouldn't touch you if you were the last human on Earth. Get over yourself."

Tigress looked ready to kill. "You look like a reject from a low-budget rap video!" she retorted, "Like **you** have the right to judge anyone!"

Michael's expression darkened. "I'm going to enjoy killing you, you blonde bimbo. You look like a fucking Mean Girls bitch," he snarled. "**Now**, guys!"

Five men stepped out from where they were hiding and quickly surrounded them. The men seized them before they had the chance to react, and ushered them into a nearby room, closing the door after them. El Topo glanced around, but there was no sign of Le Chèvre. The room was completely empty, and they knew this was where Michael planned on killing them.

"Michael Jr.!" Sebastian scolded, expression furious. "What do you think you're doing? These were **not** your orders."

Michael pulled out a handgun and aimed it straight at the other man's head. "I'm through taking orders from that old man," he replied. "He's **not** my father, and I'm taking over the Finnegan empire tonight. You, as well as that old has-been, are getting a bullet to the head."

Tigress glanced over at Carmen who gave a nod.

Tigress suddenly lashed out at Michael knocking his arm to the side just as he fired the gun. The bullet grazed Sebastian's cheek, and then lodged harmlessly in the wall.

"Go find Le Chèvre," Carmen told El Topo. "We'll be fine here."

She then jumped at the nearest man, kicking him solidly in the chin as El Topo ran for the door. Seeing the men drawing their weapons, both Tigress and Carmen launched themselves straight for them before the weapons could be fully raised. Like in training, they used each other to their advantage, and they fought back to back as they took on the much bigger opponents. Tigress gouged and clawed with everything she had, releasing all her pent up fury while Carmen concentrated on disarming the men as fast and as harmlessly as she could, their fighting styles different but effective. A punch caught the side of Carmen's face and she stumbled, the force enough to make her see stars. Tigress clawed the man across his face for his effort, and he let out a shriek as he clutched at his head.

Carmen kicked out as a man took a swing at Tigress, and he fell back against his friends, knocking them to the floor. Carmen and Tigress had fought much harder battles in training, and they knew this would be a fight they would easily win.

Michael, seeing that his friends were very quickly being taken down, reached into his pocket and pulled out a small device. Before Carmen could make it to him, he pressed a button, and loud alarms began sounding, the whole building vibrating as something happened.

"Red, the building just went into lock-down." Player informed her. "Guards are starting to swarm-"

Players voice abruptly cut out, and she realized something was blocking the signal. A shot suddenly whizzed past her ear, Carmen instinctively diving aside, and she looked up to see Michael taking aim at her again. He took shot after shot, and there was nowhere to take cover and so Carmen and Tigress had no choice, but to just keep dodging. All of Michael's thugs were down for the count, and with his wild shooting, he kept hitting his own men. Carmen suspected there were now a few dead men among Michael's crew. Sebastian was sitting huddled in a corner, hands covering his head, simply waiting and hoping not to be hit.

"I'm going to kill you!" Michael screamed out in a rage, shooting bullet after bullet. "I'm going to blast so many holes in you, they'll need a DNA test just to identify you!"

Carmen recognized the gun from her training as a Kel-Tec PMR-30, a unique handgun with an enormous clip capacity of 30. She wasn't sure she and Tigress could continue dodging for 30 shots without one of them getting hit. Perhaps if they had some sort of cover they could manage it, but sooner or later, he was going to get lucky with a shot.

Sure enough, she heard a cry of pain from the other girl, and she saw Tigress clutching at one of her arms as she once again dodged.

Carmen glanced towards the door, knowing reinforcements would be there any second to help Michael.

"Tigress!" she called over.

"What?" the other girl snapped, leaping away from a shot. "Kinda busy here."

"Delta Tango Delta."

Tigress' eyes widened. "Don't be stupid!"

"Do you have any better ideas?" Carmen demanded.

"Where's Shadowsan?" she demanded. "He said he was on his way!"

"I don't know." Carmen responded, grunting as a shot nicked her thigh. "He probably got delayed because of the lock-down."

Tigress didn't look happy, but she gave the other girl a nod. "Alright, but if I die, I'm coming back to haunt you."

"I won't let that happen." Carmen promised. "On the count of three?"

"What are you planning?" Michael demanded, furiously shooting at them.

"One."

Carmen dodged another shot.

"Two."

She leapt to one side, and then shouted "Three!"

Carmen and Tigress both charged straight at Michael from either side, and he quickly realized he could only shoot one of them. His face showed the panic as he made his choice and then squeezed the trigger. Just as the shot was fired off, Shadowsan burst out of the vent above, landing directly on top of Michael, kicking the gun from his hands in one swift motion. The gun slid far across the room, and came to a stop at someone's feet who was standing in the open doorway. Carmen held a hand to her side where the bullet entered, and Tigress and Shadowsan were quick to catch her before she could fall. The person at the door knelt down and picked up the gun, and when everyone looked up, Mime Bomb stood in the doorway, gun aimed straight at Michael Jr.'s head.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

El Topo ran down the hall as fast as he could, checking in every room he passed for signs of Le Chèvre. Finding a locked door at the very end of the hallway, he threw his whole weight against it, the wood giving way under the force with a loud crunch. El Topo charged into the room ready to fight, and he was met with the sight of a very startled Le Chèvre sitting on a nearby cot. El Topo stared at him for a moment in surprised silence, and then his whole face lit up in joy.

"Jean Paul!" El Topo cried, charging over to him without hesitation.

He threw his arms around the other man with such force Le Chèvre almost fell off the bed, barely catching himself in time.

"Hello, Antonio." Le Chèvre greeted with a small laugh.

El Topo didn't answer, simply squeezing him even tighter, clearly not wanting to let go. To Le Chèvre's complete shock, El Topo planted a gentle but desperate kiss on his lips, this being the first of its kind. Le Chèvre froze, unsure of how to react, and then he relaxed, and smiled into the kiss. They pulled back a bit but remained forehead to forehead, nothing else mattering at the moment.

"Je t'aime, Antonio."

"Te Amo, Jean Paul." Antonio answered with a happy laugh. "I missed you."

"Thank you for coming for me." Le Chèvre whispered, pulling back slightly. "I missed you as well."

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." El Topo replied. "All of this is my fault. It was my plan that caused this."

"Stop." Le Chèvre ordered firmly. "I have told you it's not your fault, and I'm not discussing it any further."

El Topo averted his eyes, and Le Chèvre gave him a nudge. "Let's get out of here, yes? Apparently I have a lot to catch up on?"

El Topo nodded, and then turned his gaze to the shackles around Le Chèvre's ankles. With a mighty swing of his claws, he broke the chains, and then helped Le Chèvre to his feet.

"Let's go help Carmen and Tigress, and then get out of here." El Topo said, leading the way out of the room.

Le Chèvre wasn't thrilled over the helping Carmen part, but he nodded all the same. This wasn't the time nor the place to be having a conversation about Carmen Sandiego. They would deal with that later.

As they headed out of the room, El Topo flashed him a smile.

"So, does this mean we're dating now, mi amigo?"

Le Chèvre simply laughed.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Mime Bomb was staring at Michael with wide and frightened eyes, his hand shaking as he stood there silently. His breathing was fast and uneven, and Carmen could see the beginnings of a panic attack starting.

"Mime Bomb..." Carmen said with a pained wince.

Mime Bomb didn't take his eyes off Michael.

"Put the gun down." Carmen said gently. "You don't want to kill anyone. Michael can't hurt you any more, he's been beaten."

Michael stared up at the mime in shock, this being the last person he ever expected to see again. He could see the way Mime Bomb's hands were shaking, and he felt certain the mime didn't have the nerve to actually pull the trigger. If he could just get the gun from the freak, he'd be in control again. Raising his hands above his head, Michael began very slowly getting back to his feet.

"Stay down!" Carmen hissed at him. "Are you trying to get shot?!"

"The freak's not going to shoot," he said confidently. "**Look** at him!"

Carmen **was** looking at him, and she could see that Mime Bomb's eyes were dilated in fear, and his finger was inching closer and closer to the trigger.

"Mime Bomb! Put that gun down, **right now**!" Shadowsan ordered in his most teacher-is-displeased-with-you tone. "Put. It. Down."

Michael flashed Mime Bomb a cocky look and took a step forward. "Hand over the gun." he ordered, holding out a hand. "I can keep you chained in this basement for the rest of your life if I want. I suggest you do as you're told and give it to me!"

Mime Bomb took a step back. Michael took a step forward.

"Remember the lessons I taught you, freak? You wouldn't want to displease me, would you? Remember how much you loved my knife? Loved how it carved you up? Loved how it made you bleed? I learned everything I know from Volkov, and I know you're familiar with who they are. I know who you really are, but I haven't told anyone yet. If you don't do **exactly** as I say right now, you're going to become reacquainted with them very soon. I'll call them, and tell them who you are."

Mime Bomb backed up another step, his hand shaking even worse than before. Michael followed him and slowly reached out a hand towards the gun.

"Give it to me," he ordered. "Give it to me or I'm going to hurt you and turn you over to **them**."

Mime Bomb began lowering the gun, his eyes looking haunted, and then to everyone's surprise, he pulled the trigger. Michael let out a howl of agony as his leg was shot, and he fell to the floor at Mime Bomb's feet. Mime Bomb stared down at him, and then he raised the gun and pressed it against Michael's temple.

"Mime Bomb, no!" Carmen begged. "Please don't do this! No!"

Michael now realized he had made a grave error. He licked his lips in fear, staring up at the mime with terrified eyes , knowing the other boy could end his life with a simple press of a finger.

"Look man, I only did what I was ordered to. I wasn't **really** going to hurt you, I just wanted the gun."

If Mime Bomb could hear him, it didn't show. He stared down at Michael, his expression not giving anything away.

"I'm sorry!" Michael cried, now becoming panicked. "I'm sorry I hurt you! **Please** don't kill me! **Please**! I don't want to die."

"Mime Bomb, let's go home." Carmen begged. "Let's go home, and no one has to die. Please just put the gun down."

Every horrible torture he'd been put through was flashing through Mime Bomb's eyes, and the pain and desperation rose to the surface of his mind. The rancid smell of cigarettes and sweat seemed to cling to the air, the smell of pain, the smell of fear, the smell of his torture. Not even realizing he was doing it, his finger pressed down on the trigger and an immediate expression of regret and horror crossed Mime Bomb's face when he realized what he'd done. There was a loud click, but no gunfire. Everyone froze for a moment before they realized what had happened. The gun was out of bullets.

Mime Bomb dropped the gun to the floor, and fell to his knees, hyperventilating and his expression shell-shocked. He had almost killed someone.

"Mime Bomb..." Carmen said, expression full of pain.

El Topo then appeared in the doorway. "We heard gunfire, is everyone-" he cut off at the sight before him. "What happened?"

"We need to get out of here." Carmen said. "Help Mime Bomb."

El Topo glanced down at the mime and without question, pulled him to his feet by the upper arm. "Come, amigo, let's get out of here."

Mime Bomb allowed himself to be led, looking completely dazed. Le Chèvre had no idea what was going on and stared at Mime Bomb with a mixture of confusion and impatience. He glared at Carmen but didn't say a single word, simply turning and following along beside El Topo. As Tigress and Shadowsan helped Carmen out of the room, she glanced down at Michael.

"Apply pressure to that wound. Help will be here soon."

"I'll kill you for this." Michael promised, clutching at his leg tightly.

She didn't answer, and they left the room, leaving Michael behind screaming curses at them. As they hurried to the elevator, they had no idea what would be waiting for them upstairs in the lobby.

"Who can fight?" Carmen asked, as they piled into the elevator.

Everyone except for Mime Bomb raised their hand. Le Chèvre glared down at him, and then elbowed the mime hard in the ribs. Mime Bomb obediently raised his hand, looking pale and still shaking.

"No, Mime Bomb, you're sitting this one out." Carmen said, flashing him a worried look. "I'll do what I can, but I'm not going to be much help."

"No, Carmen, you're injured and you need to protect yourself." Shadowsan replied. "Leave the fighting to us."

The elevator dinged, and when the door opened, they were met with the sight of Boris and Vlad, V.I.L.E's Cleaners, standing beside dozens of bodies, clearly waiting for them to arrive. They said nothing to them, simply looking from one face to another, before glancing at each other and nodding. Guns were strewn all across the lobby, blood and chunks of flesh everywhere they looked.

"Oh god..." Tigress moaned, holding a hand to her mouth.

Shadowsan leaned Carmen into Mime Bomb's arms, and then charged for the Cleaners, knowing their chances of winning weren't great. Tigress quickly joined them and after a quick look at one another, El Topo and Le Chèvre did as well. The Cleaners were expecting this, and as V.I.L.E's most elite of all agent's they easily avoided the attacks. No one knew where the Cleaners had come from or who had trained them, but their reputation was legendary. The Cleaners didn't fail, and they didn't get caught.

Blades suddenly appeared in the Cleaner's hands, and before she even knew it was happening, Tigress received a deep slice across her abdomen. Falling to the ground in agony, she twisted and kicked Vlad's hand as he went in for the kill. She knocked his aim off, and the knife hit the tile floor with a dull clang, giving Tigress enough time to roll back to her feet.

Le Chèvre and El Topo were working as a pair to fight Boris, neither having to look at the other to know what they were going to do next. They coordinated their attacks, and lashed out over and over at the Cleaner, knowing they'd wear him down eventually. Le Chèvre seemed to be struggling a bit, his breath coming out in gasps, and El Topo quickly realized he was still recovering from his injuries. Le Chèvre didn't have the stamina to keep leaping and climbing like he normally did. A goat on the ground was an easy target, and El Topo knew he had to protect him at all costs.

"I thought a Cleaner would be a better fighter than this." he mocked, hoping to direct the attacks all at himself. "You can't even get a single hit on El Topo!"

Boris was no fool, and he knew who the weak link was. Le Chèvre was climbing and leaping along the staircase and it was clear he was having trouble breathing. He was wheezing like he was having an asthma attack, and Boris kept after him, forcing him to make jump after jump. El Topo fought and slashed at Boris with everything he had, but the Cleaner was relentless in his pursuit of Le Chèvre. Finally, Le Chèvre missed a jump and he fell hard to the floor, gasping in an attempt to breathe. Le Chèvre felt like he was suffocating and he held a hand to his chest, feeling dizzy, and unable to move. El Topo threw himself at Boris who sidestepped him and delivered a powerful kick to the other man's face. El Topo crashed to the floor, the back of his head hitting the tile with a loud crack. Le Chèvre crawled towards El Topo, but Boris kicked him hard in the stomach, sending him sliding across the floor, far from his partner. El Topo and Le Chèvre were both down and out of the fight.

Tigress was severely injured and she couldn't get a single hit in against Vlad. Shadowsan fought, doing his best to defend her, but it was clear who was going to win this fight. When Boris joined in with Vlad, it only took a few very well placed strikes to knock the older man to the floor. Approaching with the blade in hand, Vlad knelt down next to Shadowsan, and raised the knife for the kill. Shadowsan then chose that moment to unleash an attack, and he punched Vlad in the stomach as hard as he could. He surprised the Cleaner, and the man fell backwards, a small grunt of pain escaping him. Shadowsan quickly followed up with a powerful kick that sent the smaller man sliding away from him. Taking a deep breath, Shadowsan charged for Boris who was going after Tigress.

Boris turned on him in an instant, and Shadowsan felt the bite of the blade as it dragged across his chest. Gasping in pain, Shadowsan saw Vlad approaching out of the corner of his eye. There was no way he was going to win this fight.

"HEY!" a loud voice bellowed out.

Everyone turned and stared towards the front doors where Devineaux stood, expression fearless. Keeping his eyes away from the bloody carnage around him, Chase ran at the Cleaners, raising his fists to fight. To everyone's surprise he side-stepped Boris' swing and lashed out with a fist, hitting him in the face as hard as he could. Neither Cleaner was expecting the attack from a civilian, and Boris wiped the blood from his nose, expression never once changing.

"Devineaux!" Carmen yelled to him. "Run! You don't know who these guys are! You won't win!"

"Chase Devineaux runs from nothing." Chase replied, getting into a boxer's stance.

Without a word, the Cleaners both charged at Chase, and they attacked with such speed he had no chance to dodge the attack. He felt a burning agony across his face and then the sight was gone from one of his eyes, his vision filling with red. Chase used the pain to fuel his determination, and he smashed his forehead into Vlad's face as hard as he could. The man staggered back, a hand flying up to his broken nose, and for a moment his face twisted in pain. Boris didn't hesitate, and he lashed out at Chase, his knife stabbing deeply into his shoulder. Chase grit his teeth from the pain, and although he knew at this point he wouldn't win, he kicked out as hard as he could. He caught Boris between the legs, and he too stumbled back, away from the detective.

Shadowsan lunged at Boris and knocked the man to the floor, hitting him as hard and as fast as he could. Devineaux fell to his knees, the pain finally catching up to him, and he raised a hand to his face, feeling the deep gash that crossed it. Had he lost his eye? There was too much blood and he wasn't sure. What vision he had left was blurred and he knew he wasn't going to be any help.

Vlad was quick to help his partner, and a moment later, Shadowsan was laying gasping on the floor. The Cleaners saw there was no one left to fight them, and they finally turned their attention to Carmen. Carmen was still bleeding heavily, and she was too weak to stand, but she gave a tug to Mime Bomb's sleeve.

"Run." she told him. "One of us has to get away to warn Zack and Ivy. Run, please run."

Mime Bomb stared down at her for a moment, and then stepped in front of her, shielding her from the Cleaners.

"No." Carmen begged. "Go!"

Mime Bomb watched as the Cleaners approached, not even bothering to raise his hands in an attempt to fight. They stopped in front of him, and he simply stared at them, expression resigned. Vlad stared into Mime Bomb's eyes and then cocked his head curiously. Reaching out, he tipped up Mime Bomb's chin, something in the mime's eyes interesting to him. He stared for a long moment and then frowned. Vlad glanced over at Boris and they seemed to be communicating something between them. They seemed puzzled over something, and they hesitated. Boris peered into Mime Bomb's eyes, and then gave his partner a shrug, and Vlad replied with a nod, his decision made. He lifted up the knife and laid it against Mime Bomb's throat, about to end the boy's life with a single flick of the wrist.

The loud sound of sirens could be heard in the distance, and both Cleaners looked up. They exchanged another look, and then both turned and headed for the door, not even glancing back at any of them. Those awake let out loud groans of pain, and Mime Bomb reached down to help Carmen to her feet. Shadowsan was struggling up as well, the older man reaching out to help Tigress.

Le Chèvre was still gasping and wheezing, but he had managed to crawl over to El Topo. Relieved the other man was still breathing, he gave his shoulder a gentle shake.

"Antonio? Antonio, are you alright?"

El Topo let out a moan, and raised a hand to his head. Mime Bomb approached while still supporting Carmen and reached down a hand to help Le Chèvre pull El Topo to his feet. Le Chèvre gave Mime Bomb an unreadable look, but nodded his thanks, and they began slowly making their way to check on the others. Chase was knelt down next to Tigress, and without a word, he lifted the girl into his arms.

"Oh, Devineaux, your face!" Carmen said with regret.

"No matter." Chase replied. "We should get out of here before it's too late."

Shadowsan reached into his pocket and with great difficulty, he pulled out a switch. Flipping it, they only had to wait a moment, before smoke began to fill the room, fires clearly somewhere in the building.

"Should have used that for the fight." Devineaux complained.

Carmen shook her head. "Losing your sight against the Cleaners is the worst possible scenario." she commented.

Chase gave a wry laugh, hand going up to his face. "I agree."

Limping their way out of the building, they were relieved to see Zack and Ivy waiting out front for them with the van. When they saw the condition everyone was in, they stared in absolute horror and then ran to help them into the vehicle.

"Red, you just came back online!" Player's frantic voice cried. "Are you alright? What happened?"

"The Cleaners happened." she replied. "Were you successful?"

"We got every single penny the Finnegans had." he replied. "All police stations and news-stations were sent the information about the Finnegans, and all corrupt A.C.M.E and Interpol employees have been outed. Michael Finnegan is in his safe room, and he has no idea any of this has happened. The police will be there in less than five minutes, and he'll be led out in cuffs."

Carmen nodded, sitting tiredly in the backseat of the van. "Player, can you arrange for a back alley doctor to meet us at the plane? Pay double whatever he or she is asking. They'll need to travel with us out of the country."

"Who's hurt?" Player asked worriedly.

Carmen glanced around at all the bloody faces around her. "Who's **not**?" she replied with a bit of humour.

Mime Bomb slunk down in his seat and averted his gaze.

"Sure thing, Red." Player answered, still clearly really worried.

As they pulled away, Carmen glanced behind them with a frown. "The Cleaners are going to follow us."

Zack let out a snort. "Not likely." he replied. "I saw Mime Bomb slash all four of their tires before he went inside. They won't be driving **anywhere**."

"We tried to stop him from going in, but he wouldn't listen." Ivy cut in.

Carmen reached over and took Mime Bomb's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "I think once we've been seen by the doctor, we all need to have to have a long chat."

"Yay, team Red!" Zack interrupted, trying to lighten the mood. "We did it! Mission successful! Woooo!"

"Shut up, dork." Tigress muttered from the back seat. "I don't want the last thing I hear to be **your** voice."

"You're not dying." Shadowsan assured her. "I've staunched the bleeding."

"I still don't want to listen to him blathering." she commented, tiredly. "Someone put on the radio."

Although they had completed their mission, no one really felt like celebrating, but they did exchange a few tentative smiles. They had survived a direct attack from the Cleaners, and not many people could boast the same thing. They were now a team of nine, and Team Red was slowly growing in power.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The Cleaners stared at the flat tires of their car, and walked away down the street, knowing they had to get as far away from the crime scene as possible. Vlad picked up his communicator and dialed the faculty as they walked, knowing this wasn't going to go over well.

The faces of the five heads of V.I.L.E appeared on his screen, and it was Coach Brunt who spoke up first.

"What happened to the two of **you**?" she demanded, staring at the bruises and blood covering them.

"Tigress, El Topo and Le Chèvre have joined Carmen Sandiego."

Coach Brunt let out an immediate roar of fury and flipped her desk, sending papers scattering in every direction. As she screamed and ranted in the background, Professor Maelstrom addressed them.

"Are you certain?"

Neither Cleaner answered him, simply staring.

"Right." Professor Maelstrom said with a sigh. "Roundabout, do you suppose this had anything to do with the intel that was just leaked about our spies?"

Roundabout adjusted his glasses. "Team Carmen Sandiego were just at the Finnegan building, and now all funds have disappeared from the Finnegan accounts, and the corruption was leaked to the press. It would be awfully coincidental for the two not to be related. I personally have lost a lot of my own money because of this, and it is a big blow to our operations."

"I cannot find any trace of the money." Dr. Bellum stated with a frown. "They've hidden it, and I have no way of knowing where."

"You mean to say, Carmen Sandiego now has access to nearly 30 billion dollars?" Countess Cleo asked in horror.

"It would appear that way." Dr. Bellum answered.

"Do you need to be picked up?" Professor Maelstrom asked the Cleaners.

"Yes."

"Very well. I'll be in touch to let you know where to go."

Professor Maelstrom ended the call and turned to the others. "Coach Brunt, if you could cease your tantrum for a moment, we need you over here."

Coach Brunt was breathing hard and angrily, but she did stomp her way back to the others. She righted the desk and chair and then took a seat, still looking angry enough to kill.

"It appears Carmen Sandiego is becoming a bigger threat than I thought possible. She is collecting her old teammates like flies to honey." Roundabout stated.

"What do you suggest?" Countess Cleo demanded.

"I think that is obvious." Professor Maelstrom responded, thoughtfully. "We need to terminate all operatives from her year. None of them can be trusted. Carmen Sandiego is like a virus, and we can't let this spread any further."

"Get rid of them **all**?" Coach Brunt asked in surprise. "All forty of them?"

"Only 35 now." Roundabout pointed out. "Five have turned traitor."

Coach Brunt frowned at him.

"I suggest a new strategy." Roundabout said slowly.

"Oh?" Coach Brunt demanded.

"Carmen Sandiego seems to have great luck working with her team, and so I think we should create our own team to pit against her."

"An interesting thought." Professor Maelstrom commented, scratching his chin. "It bears consideration."

"My dear boy is finally ready, and I think he would make the perfect leader for this new team." Dr. Bellum said, shooting them a grin.

The others weren't so sure. "Are you certain that's wise?" Professor Maelstrom questioned. "We were going to eliminate the remaining 35 operatives."

"Not my boy." Dr. Bellum said fiercely. "Take the others, but he's my special project and you can't have him."

Professor Maelstrom let a sigh. "Very well, Saira, keep your little pet project. We should begin discussing which agents to include in this new team. They need to be unquestionably loyal to V.I.L.E and strong."

"Of course." Countess Cleo replied. "I will give it some thought and get back to you."

The others murmured their agreements.

Roundabout once again raised a hand to adjust his glasses. "This team will be the downfall of Carmen Sandiego."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The Chief was absolutely furious, and it clearly showed in her face. She stared at Julia with a scowl and set Chase's phone on the desk between them.

"It appears Chase Devineaux is now working with Carmen Sandiego."

Julia immediately shook her head, not even considering it. "Not possible."

"He lied to us in order to sneak **this** in here." the Chief snapped, pointing to the phone. "He stole every bit of information we had on our servers. All of A.C.M.E has been compromised."

Again Julia shook her head. "No, it has to be a mistake. He would **never** work for Carmen Sandiego. Mr. Devineaux despises her, and he believes very firmly in law and order. There must be some other explanation!"

The Chief turned her laptop so Julia could see, and on her screen were several photos of Chase getting out of a van with Carmen Sandiego sitting in the front seat. "These photos were taken a block away from the Interpol building which had a similar breach." she clicked a button, and a few pictures of Chase getting off a plane with Carmen standing beside him appeared on the screen. "There is no doubt in my mind. Chase Devineaux is now a criminal working with Carmen Sandiego. He is the enemy of A.C.M.E and I am making it my personal mission to bring him in."

Chase had made a fool of her, and she would make him pay **dearly**. If she had to tear all of France apart to find him, she would do it without hesitation.

"Put his picture out on our most wanted list."

Julia hesitated, but then gave a nod. "Yes, ma'am, right away."

As Julia walked from the room, she knew none of this seemed right. Chase was a bit of a doofus, but he was an **honest** doofus. Something else was going on, and she would find out what. For that she needed to find Carmen Sandiego.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**TBC In Part 2: Broken**


End file.
